Dundalk have been convinced to part ways with key defender Archie Davies as he joins Carlisle United for an undisclosed fee.
The 25-year-old moved to the Lilywhites from Aldershot Town in January last year and became one of the best defenders in the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division.
In his first season in Ireland, Davies was named the 1903 Dundalk FC Supporters Club Player of the Year and was also selected by his fellow professionals on the PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year. In total, he made 63 appearances for the club.
He was seen a vital player in their bid to avoid the drop as they sit in ninth place in the top flight.
However with his contract expiring in a few months, the Louth side have opted to accept a five-figure sum as they bring in a host of new players.
"It was obviously a tough decision," said Davies. "It’s something I couldn't really turn down and I hope people understand that.
"I’ve always said that I wanted to go back and play in the English Football League at some stage and, luckily enough, I've built myself a good enough platform at Dundalk for teams to be interested. When the opportunity at Carlisle came up, I would have been silly to turn it down."
He said of his time in Oriel: "I can only say thanks very much to everyone at Dundalk. It has been the most enjoyable spell of my career and I'm going to miss the place. I’ll miss going for coffee with the boys every day and playing at Oriel Park on a Friday night under the lights. I’ve just had loads of really, really enjoyable moments and I'm really grateful. Thank you very much and I wish you all the best."
Hayden Muller has also departed to join English National League side Sutton United.
The 22-year-old made 56 appearances for Dundalk, scoring twice, including a winner against Shamrock Rovers in the FAI Cup at Oriel Park last July.
Dundalk boss Jon Daly is looking to bring in more players with five already coming in so far this month.
Speaking about Davies' exit, he said: "Archie has been one of the best defenders in the league over the past two seasons and we are obviously very disappointed to see him go, especially when we have only 13 games to go, but he felt this opportunity to go back to England might not come up at the end of our season.
"When a player says he wants to go, you have to start planning for life without them. The club has got a fee from him and it’s our job now to go and find somebody who can become the next Archie Davies and I’m confident we can do that."
Scott McGill, Norman Garbett, Jad Hakiki and Bobby Faulkner have come into the club with at least three more players expected to be added by Daly this month.
It represents a major turnover with a crucial game against rivals Drogheda United coming up on Friday at Oriel Park.
The sides are separated by two points going into the clash.
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