Burton Albion broke their club-record today as Liam Boyce joined from Ross County for an undisclosed fee as he signed a three-year deal at the club.
Top scorer in the Scottish Premiership
The Northern Ireland international certainly has the potential to be a quality addition to Nigel Clough's squad as they look to improve on their 20th placed finish in The Championship last time out.
Boyce managed to finish top scorer in the Scottish Premiership last season as he found the back of the net 23 times. During his three year spell at Ross County, he has scored 48 goals in 99 appearances overall. He has also had two previous spells at Cliftonville in his career. During the first spell he found the back of the net 18 times in 52 appearances but was more successful second time around as he hit 51 goals in 85 appearances.
He has also scored one goal for Northern Ireland and this turned out to be the only goal in their recent friendly against New Zealand. He will be hoping that this big career move will enhance his opportunities on the international stage even further.
Boyce is 'buzzing' to join the Brewers
Boyce has made it clear how delighted he is to join the Brewers and is looking forward to meeting the rest of the Albion squad when they join up for pre-season. He told Burton's official site: “I’m absolutely buzzing to finally get it done. There’s been a lot of speculation so now I’m just happy to be here."
He also revealed how Albion striker Jackson Irvine, a former teammate of his at Ross County, played a key role in persuading him to join the club. He added: “I kept in touch with Jackson after he came down here. He has done well and it has been a good platform for him to come and play his football. He’s been brilliant the past season and I just hope to come in and do the same."
Irvine was Burton's previous club-record transfer as he joined the Brewers last summer for a fee of around £300,000. The move has worked out well for him as he scored 10 goals this season and has been linked with a move to a host of Championship rivals. However, Clough will be hoping that Irvine stays at the Pirelli Stadium and helps Boyce find his feet in English football.
The 24-year-old striker felt he had to make the switch away from Scottish football if he was to progress further in his career. He said: "I want to go to the next level and, no disrespect to Scotland, but the English Championship is a step up in quality and I wanted to come and test myself.”