Ali McCann had a ‘sigh of relief’ at the end of a hectic final day of the transfer window which had him leave St Johnstone for Preston North End.
The Northern Ireland international won the League Cup and Scottish Cup with the Perth side last season. He now moves from Perth to the English Championship and McCann says he couldn’t say no to the Preston offer.
McCann has left St Johnstone for Preston. (Photo by Sammy Turner/SNS Group via Getty Images)
He said (LL): “It was very stressful at my end, sitting in my hotel room just sort of answering the phone every five minutes, which wasn’t ideal I guess. It definitely went right down to the wire but I was just glad to get it done in the end. Once it finished there was a sigh of relief and the excitement kicked in after that.
“If the offer was there, I always wanted to experience football down here. It’s a different world to up in Scotland, a different set-up, schedule and I just wanted to try something new. It is going to be exciting to be a part of it. I feel like I have been ready for a while now.
“As I say, I am not one to kick up a fuss or force myself to leave but I feel like I was playing at quite a high level for St Johnstone and Northern Ireland as well. So I always thought that if the offer did come, then I would like to challenge myself down here.”
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