Kieran Offord completes Linfield switch as David Healy gets his man
David Healy feels new signing Kieran Offord has all the qualities to be a "top player in the Irish League".
Linfield confirmed they had won the race for the highly-rated St Mirren forward for an undisclosed six figure fee, pipping city rivals Glentoran to his signature.
Healy spoke of his delight in bringing Offord to Windsor Park revealing he is a player he has been tracking for some time.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kieran to Linfield," Healy told the club website after landing the striker following his impressive loan spell at Crusaders.
"He is a player we have been tracking for a number of months, and we believe he has the ability to add more quality to the squad in this crucial period.
"His time at Crusaders has shown that he has what it takes to be a top player in this league, he has a good goal scoring record at this level and we’re looking forward to working with him to develop further.
"I’d like to thank the club for their persistence in getting this done and also thank you to our Head of Recruitment Willie McKeown for his hard work in getting this signing over the line.”
Offord netted 14 times in all competition for the Crues and his agent Phil Korklin of Momentum Sports Management, feels joining the Blues is the right "pathway" for the 20-year-old to follow.
“We are delighted to have been able to help make this move happen for Kieran and Linfield FC," he said. "It’s a pathway that we feel will be hugely beneficial for Kieran and once he spoke to the manager he was sold on the opportunity.
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"Once we spoke to Willie McKeown and David Healy, we felt this was the club for Kieran to take the next step in his career.
"The manager is hugely experienced as a player and manager and will be someone who we feel Kieran can learn so much from.
It’s a great platform and one we are massively excited to see the next steps that the player and club take together.”
As part of the deal St Mirren have confirmed they will also benefit from further adds on and a future sell-on fee.
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