Swansea City have signed Josh Key – two years after Sunderland had several bids rejected for him.
The Swans confirmed the defender’s arrival this morning as he put pen to paper on a three-year deal at the Liberty Stadium.
Key has spent the last eight years with Exeter City and became a key player for the club as they won promotion to League One during the 2021-22 season.
The 23-year-old was offered a new deal at Exeter but chose to leave the club and secured a move to Wales on a free transfer, with Michael Duff’s side having to pay compensation to The Grecians.
Prior to their promotion, Sunderland expressed interest in the full-back and saw several bids in the region of £1 million rejected for his signature.
Following Key’s exit, Gary Caldwell was quick to praise his former star, telling the club: “We are proud of what Josh has achieved and he is a fine representative of the academy, but we understood his desire to play at a higher level.
“Josh is not only a great footballer, but also a fantastic person, and we all wish him the very best.”
Sunderland won’t be disappointed that they didn’t land Swansea City’s Josh Key
Josh Key is clearly a talented player to earn himself a move to the Championship this summer, however Sunderland fans certainly won’t be disappointed.
Trai Hume and Dennis Cirkin have both signed new contracts in recent months and have left Tony Mowbray rather content with his options at full-back.
The pair have excelled since Sunderland won promotion, while the likes of Aji Alese and Lynden Gooch have also given the Black Cats boss plenty to think about.
After seeing their bid for Key rejected, the Wearside outfit went onto land Cirkin for a similar price, while Hume was bought for around £200,000 – a huge bargain for the club.