Josh Kerr has rejected the chance to stay at Celtic and has instead joined Brighton and Hove Albion.
Kerr has swapped Celtic for Brighton
Brighton signing Josh Kerr has told the club’s official website that it was the lure of playing Premier League football that tempted him to turn down a new contract at Celtic and instead join the Seagulls.
The Daily Star reports that the 19-year-old has signed a two-year deal with Chris Hughton’s men for an undisclosed fee and is set to join once the transfer window opens in the coming weeks.
Brighton secured promotion under Chris Hughton this season
And following the confirmation of the move, Kerr explained exactly why he decided to bring an end to his five year spell with the Bhoys despite the fact that the Scottish Premiership side put a contract offer on the table before his departure.
“It happened quite quickly. I’d been offered another contract by Celtic, but when a Premier League club comes along, you can’t really knock them back. It’s good to be here,” he told the club’s official website.
“I was excited, because I’d been watching the last couple of games. It’s Premier League next season, so it looks like the club is on the up.
Kerr spent five years with Celtic
“I want to settle into the under-23s, get used to the place and find my feet, and then hopefully I can start putting pressure on the manager to play me.”
The news may perhaps be slightly concerning for the Hoops as some of the fans may not understand why leaving Celtic during this trophy-laden spell that also involves Champions League football, for a team that has only just been promoted is so appealing despite Brighton’s extremely promising of levels of gradual progress in recent years.
Celtic offered Kerr a new deal before his move
Brendan Rodgers has shown to the club’s youngsters that the path to the first-team is there if they make the most of their chance, but that appears to have not been enough for Kerr having been offered the chance to move to the Premier League.
And although players wanting to move to England has been a fairly regular problem for Celtic in recent years, Rodgers will be targeting ensuring that Kerr’s move becomes something of an anomaly by the time the Northern Irishman’s tenure ends, with the majority of the players deeming staying at Parkhead to have more than enough of an appeal.
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