Old Firm sign Lafferty and McCourt

KYLE Lafferty last night completed his £3.25 million transfer to Rangers from Burnley, despite the Turf Moor club still waiting to learn if Alan Gow will agree to move in the opposite direction.

As the Old Firm look to bolster their squads for the season ahead, Celtic also concluded the transfer of Lafferty's Northern Ireland international team-mate, the winger Pat McCourt, from Derry City, after persuading him to turn down the prospect of English Premier League football and join his boyhood idols instead.

Lafferty passed a medical and agreed personal terms with Rangers on Tuesday, but the initial deal could not be formally concluded until Gow decided if he wanted to join the English Championship club.

Rangers, however, have now reached agreement with Burnley on a further payment for Lafferty in the event of Gow not taking up the option to move south. Lafferty has signed a five-year contract at Ibrox and the 20-year-old international striker, a boyhood Rangers supporter, was relieved that any lingering uncertainty over the transfer had come to an end.

"I'm delighted to join Rangers," said Lafferty. "It is a massive club and I'm thrilled it is all done. There had been speculation for quite a long time and at one stage I thought perhaps Rangers had lost interest, but I was delighted when my agent called me to confirm Burnley had accepted a bid from Rangers.

"All of my family and friends are Rangers supporters and they are delighted I have finally signed for the club.

"Hopefully I can now show the supporters what I can do. I enjoyed my time at Burnley but this is obviously a step up in my career and I aim to take my chance."

Celtic made 24-year-old McCourt their first close-season signing late last night in a deal worth around £200,000. He had been expected to sign for West Bromwich Albion this week after the Midlands club agreed a fee of £150,000 with Derry. As soon as he heard of Celtic's interest, however, McCourt pulled out of the deal and arrived in Glasgow yesterday for talks with the Scottish champions.

"I'm thrilled and it still hasn't quite sunk in yet to be honest," he told the club's website, www.celticfc.net.

"This is a dream come true for me. There was interest from a few clubs but as soon as I found out that Celtic were in for me, my mind was made up. I have always been a Celtic supporter and there was only one choice to make. It's an honour to join one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"It's been a whirlwind 24 hours, but I'm just delighted to get everything sorted out.

"To sign for this club is a dream and when I get back home tonight, it might all finally sink in. It's just been an incredible day."

While not as high profile a recruit as many Celtic supporters will inevitably be seeking, McCourt will add some depth to the first-team squad as Strachan looks for the player to finally fulfil the potential which earned him a full international debut for his country as an 18-year-old against Spain.

Born and raised in Londonderry, McCourt went straight from youth-team football to join Rochdale in 2001. His first 18 months there were highly successful, almost immediately holding down a first-team place and playing regularly for Northern Ireland's under-21 side. In June 2002, then Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy rewarded McCourt with a call-up to the senior squad and despite a 5-0 defeat by Spain at Windsor Park, it seemed as if a player who had even evoked some comparisons with the great George Best was on course to make it at the highest level.

Rochdale even turned down a bid of £1.5 million for McCourt the following season but the player's form and confidence dipped badly and he was eventually released by the club in February 2005. After failing to impress Motherwell during a two-week trial, McCourt went back across the Irish Sea to sign for Shamrock Rovers before moving on again to join home town club Derry City for £60,000.

His form for the Brandywell outfit rekindled interest in him from bigger clubs and McCourt's former international manager McIlroy believes a move to Celtic could be exactly what an enigmatic talent requires to prove himself on a consistent basis. "Gordon Strachan is at Celtic and hopefully he can get him playing to his strengths again," said McIlroy. "Celtic could be the kick-start he needs. You could see the ability and skill that he had.

"I was shocked that he didn't kick on. Maybe it all just came too soon for him."

Tony Mowbray, the West Bromwich Albion manager, felt McCourt's lack of confidence in his ability to command a regular first-team place with the English Premier League newcomers was a factor in his decision not to move to the Hawthorns. "During the club's discussions with Pat, it became clear he has other options where he feels he may have a greater opportunity to play first team football," said Mowbray. "We wish him all the best."

• Rangers have announced a pre-season friendly against Liverpool at Ibrox on Saturday 2 August, kick-off 3pm. The match will take place between the two legs of their Champions League second qualifying round tie and follows last close-season's high profile visit of Chelsea.

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