Salford City have signed Irish Striker Ryan Graydon from Fleetwood Town for an undisclosed fee.
The Ammies have fought off interest from several other clubs to secure the in-form forwards’ move to the Peninsula Stadium.
He has put pen to paper on a long-term deal, having already registered 11 goal involvements in 24 League Two appearances so far this season.
The 26-year-old started his footballing journey in his native country, rising through the ranks of the Bohemian academy.
After navigating his way around several other Irish clubs, he eventually found a home in Fleetwood, where he’s spent the past two and a half seasons.
Grayson explained that he was “delighted” to have signed a deal with the Ammies and hopes to reach new heights at the Peninsula Stadium.
He said: “I’m delighted to get it over the line, to be here and ready to go, I’m looking forward to it.
“When I saw the main objective and the plans for the next few years that was massive for me, so the objective for the rest of the season now is to get out of this league and be promoted to League One.
“That’s why I’ve signed such a long-term deal because I want to be a part of that. I’m ready to kick on now because I think my better years are ahead of me.
“It’s a great squad, you can see why they’re doing so well and it’s a big reason why I came to push on. I’m just happy to be here and buzzing to get going.”
Salford City boss Karl Robinson was overjoyed to have secured Gradon’s signing, with a host of other clubs vying for the forward’s signature.
He said: “This is another wonderful signing for us and we are delighted to be able to bring Ryan in after a very good first half to the season. He is someone we have been interested in since he came up against us last year, and this year he has shown a real consistency in his performances to build upon that even further.
“We have been able to move quickly to get Ryan into the Club, which is great for us because we feel he has a lot of attributes that can add to the quality we already have, and we believe that he will have a significant impact on everything we want to achieve this season and in the future.”
Registration documents have been submitted for EFL and FA approval.
While Graydon’s time at Fleetwood got off to a shaky start following his move from Ireland, the 26-year-old has gone from strength to strength in recent seasons.
After failing to cement his spot in the starting side during his first year on the Fylde Coast, last season saw a drastic rise in the striker’s output as he contributed to 20 Fleetwood goals.
He has started his campaign brightly and departed the Cod Army as their top scorer, having scored eight goals in League Two.
Graydon featured in both the Boxing Day draw against the Ammies and the reverse fixture at Highbury, where the striker failed to find the net on both occasions.
Salford now have six senior strikers on the books, so he’ll have to fight for every minute on the pitch.
Salford’s next match is against Swindon Town in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Unfortunately, Ammies supporters won’t be able to see Graydon in action as he’s cup-tied after making cameos against Barnet and Luton for his Fleetwood.
