Shamrock Rovers have confirmed the signing of Johnny Kenny from Celtic. The Irish striker will join the Dublin club on a season-long loan deal. The 19-year-old spent the first part of the season on loan with Queen’s Park but he is rated very highly by Celtic who want to see him progress in the League of Ireland.
Kenny signed for Celtic from Sligo Rovers in January 2022 in a deal thought to be worth €150,000 to the Irish club with potentially more to follow depending on how his career progresses in Glasgow. Kenny netted 11 league goals for Sligo Rovers in 2021 and has been capped for the Republic of Ireland at under-19 level. Opportunities were limited with Queen’s Park as he made just 12 appearances but he will be hoping to enjoy a productive spell in Ireland.
✍️ l We are delighted to announce the loan signing of striker Johnny Kenny from @CelticFC ☘️#KennyIsAHoop
— Shamrock Rovers FC ☘️ (@ShamrockRovers) December 28, 2022
Here’s what Johnny had to say on signing for Shamrock Rovers today #JohnnyIsAHoop pic.twitter.com/VVW8M6nhJN
— Shamrock Rovers FC ☘️ (@ShamrockRovers) December 28, 2022
Rovers Head Coach Stephen Bradley was delighted with the signing. “We like his attributes and the way he plays the game. We’ve liked him and monitored him for quite some time. We tried to get him a couple of years back and it didn’t quite come off so we’re delighted to get him, because he has some really good attributes that we feel will improve the team.”
“I think we’ve got really good options up front and when you add John into that mix, it only adds to it. We have Rory, Graham and Aaron and then when you add Simon and Neil to that, we’ve got real pace in that final third. But we’re always looking to improve in every area of the pitch, and we feel Johnny represents a chance for us to improve. He gives us a different option to what we have and a different type of player to what we have at the moment.”
“We know what he’s about and we’ve seen it first-hand, so there are no surprises for us or for him. He knows the league and we know Johnny. In this team, with the chances we create and the way he plays, I think he’ll really enjoy it and score goals.”
“I went and sat down with Johnny a few weeks back and we had a couple of hours together and a good chat. One thing that really stood out for me was that he’s really motivated to improve and kick on again. He’s still very young and there’s still lots of growth left in him. We feel we can help him fulfill that potential and he obviously feels he can fulfill that potential here, so it looks like a good fit for both. I’m delighted to get him in, and I can’t wait to start working with him.”
