AGUIAR: I HAD TO PAY TO GET MY MOVE
TYNECASTLE IN TURMOIL
By Hugh Keevins

BRUNO AGUIAR last night claimed he'd paid £180,000 out of his own pocket to sign for Hearts. (Hearts v Aberdenn, click here)

The Portuguese midfielder moved to Tynecastle from Benfica last month after failing to impress his new coach, Ronald Koeman, at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon.

But the player alleges he had to buy out his own contract in Portugal because Benfica had transferred him to another club, Maritimo, without telling him.

Aguiar was stunned to come back from his winter break to discover he was out of the club he joined at the age of six.

He said: "Benfica's president Luis Filipe Vieira told my agent I belonged to Maritimo. They had traded me in exchange for Maritimo winger Gustavo Manduca.

"Everything had been agreed without my knowledge. Then I was told if I wanted to leave the club I would have to pay up. So I paid up.

"I had to spend 250,000 Euros (£180,000) of my own money to leave Benfica, the club I'd been with since childhood.

"I was very upset and thought I deserved greater consideration after all I had done for them. They were signing foreign players who were getting more first-team opportunities than me.

"And these guys were getting more money in one year than I was paid in all of my 17 years there."

It could be argued Aguiar has gone from internal strife in Lisbon to behind-the-scenes chaos in Edinburgh, as Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov flies in from Lithuania today for showdown talks with players and management at Tynecastle. But the player denies he feels like a man who has stepped out of the frying pan and fallen into the fire.

Aguiar said: "Things are going well for me with Hearts. I've been very well received by everyone at the club and my transfer is turning out to be a very positive experience.

"I want to adapt to Scottish football as quickly as I can.

"If I want to play regularly then I have to get used to a game that's very different to what I've been used to in Portugal.

"It's more aggressive and the ball is up in the air more than I've experienced before."

The comings and goings at Tynecastle since Romanov took over team affairs on Tuesday might have mystified another foreign visitor with a limited command of English.

But Aguiar knows what's going on round about him. He said: "My, girlfriend is over here to help me settle and there are plenty of Portuguese speakers in the dressing room. That will help me settle down.

Taken from the Daily Record