Ryan Graydon hopes to make his debut in Europe this week
The signing is a huge boost for City boss Ruaidhri Higgins, who has led his team back to winning ways domestically, with victories over UCD and Bohemians in the past week.
The Candystripes defeated Bohs 3-2 at Dalymount Park on Friday past and the addition of Graydon means it has been a good weekend for the club ahead of Thursday’s Europa Conference League clash with Riga.
“Ryan’s a good player,” Higgins said. “He someone we actually spoke about last summer as well in the off-season and he’s actually kicked on this season and he’s in really good form at the minute.
“He’s ready to hit the ground running; it’s not as if he needs to get up to speed which is really important. I think he’s the type of player who will give us a different dimension and I’m looking forward to working with him.
“He had options, good options, so we’re delighted to get it done and going into a full-time environment, I think we can elevate his game even further and turn him into a really good player in this league.”
Graydon is hoping to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing European football by potentially making his Derry debut at the Brandywell on Thursday.
“Derry are a massive club and obviously I was excited to get the call from Ruaidhri,” he admitted.
“I didn’t need long to make my decision, so I’m just delighted that I’m here now, to get the deal done and get everything over the line. I’m eligible for Europe on Thursday as well, so hopefully I get to play a part in it.”
Graydon had offers from other clubs, but there was little else to think about when the Candystripes came calling.
“It’s nice to have interest in you, but for a big club like Derry I don’t think it was a hard decision for me, especially with Europe coming around the corner,” he added.
Tags: