Bolton Wanderers have swooped to sign former Northern Ireland under-21 international Eoin Toal on a three-year deal from Derry City.
The 23-year-old central defender, who was signed by the League One outfit for an undisclosed fee, made 155 appearances during his five-year stint in the Airtricity League following his move from Armagh City.
Speaking to the Wanderers website about his move to England, Toal said: “It’s brilliant. I know it’s been on the cards for a few weeks and I’m glad it’s done now and I’m really looking forward to it.
“I’ve been at Derry for five or six seasons and really enjoyed it. I built up a lot of good relationships with Derry, and there are a lot of good people there.
“Bolton is a massive club and I think it was just too big of a club for me to turn down and it’s a very good opportunity for me to showcase myself over here in England,” he added.
“I’ve seen a lot of players and a few of my friends who have come over to League One and done really well and I don’t see why I can’t do that.”
The move sees Toal, who won 13 U21 caps and who has also represented his country at U19 and U17 level, link up with Northern Ireland striker Dion Charles and defender Conor Bradley who is on a season-long loan at the University of Bolton Stadium from Liverpool.
Trotters boss Ian Evatt, believes that Toal has the ability to make his mark in professional football and that he will be given time to settle into his new surroundings.
“He’s a young player with a huge amount of experience – albeit in a different division; captain of a top-division team in Ireland, who has played European football and who has vast attributes we feel we can improve on,” he said.
“We know he’s got good versatility and as coaches we feel we can still improve him and he will get time to settle,” he added. “There’s no pressure on him to hit the ground running. It’s really a bigger project for us but we’re delighted to get it done and we think we’ve got a good one.”
