Grimsby Town deal for Derry City’s Cameron McJannet at ‘advanced stage’

The 25-year-old was named vice-captain of his current squad last year.

According to multiple Irish media, Grimsby Town are close to completing the acquisition of Derry City centre-back Cameron McJannet.

According to the Irish News, the 25-year-old was scheduled to go to Blundell Park to finalize personal details and undergo a medical before making the move. McJannet, who is English, notified Derry manager Ruaidhri Higgins of his wish to return to his home country, and it appears that Grimsby is his next destination.

McJannet’s contract with his current club expires at the end of the Irish league season, which is not until the end of November, therefore there will be a transfer fee involved in the move, which is claimed to be far advanced.

The EFL transfer market begins today (June 14), but the League of Ireland’s window opens on July 1, thus while an agreement between the two teams may be confirmed before that date, it will not be ratified until then.

During his four years with Derry, the left-footed centre-back made 144 appearances and scored 11 goals, two of which came in the FAI Cup final triumph over Shelbourne in 2022. He has been a consistent starter since his debut in August 2020 and is regarded as one of Ireland’s best defenders.

Higgins appointed McJannet as Derry’s vice-captain last season, with his versatility as a defender acknowledged as a crucial aspect of his game and one that the Mariners will value tremendously if a deal is reached.

“There’s obviously been discussions between the two clubs,” Higgins told the Derry Journal. “Cameron’s contract expires at the end of the season. To be honest, he is an English lad, which I understand. He’s from that region of the world and wants to go back.

“I can’t recommend him enough; he’s been an excellent servant to the club and a big help to me. He has been here since the day I stepped in, so we’ll see what happens.

“everything is crucial that everything is appropriate for the club, but we must also respect Cameron’s preferences. His contract expires at the end of the season, and he will not renew it. He is an Englishman who has always wanted to return to his homeland. If anything happens, he’ll follow our best intentions.”

The Stoke City academy product is highly regarded at Derry, and this deal demonstrates Town’s ambition to shop outside of the English market if possible, exploring a market that has recently been popular among EFL clubs.

Town have also been looking for undiscovered talent in the Faroe Islands and Iceland as they seek to develop a squad that will appeal to David Artell, who wants to change his team’s playing style next season.

Other agreements, in addition to McJannet’s, are likely to be announced soon, as the team needs to be filled out before returning to pre-season in only a few weeks.