Chris Humphrey has described the feeling of signing for Preston North End as “unbelievable”, after he put pen to paper on a two year deal at Deepdale.
The 25-year-old will officially join the Club on Monday 1st July, having spent the previous four years at SPL side Motherwell, and the winger is delighted to have finally completed his switch across the border.
“It feels unbelievable to be honest, when you look at the history of the Club, it’s massive and they’ve had some great people there in the past,” he said in an exclusive interview with PNE.Com. “I’m just really looking forward to the first day of preseason.”
Humphrey left behind the chance to play European football in order to sign for North End, highlighting the stature of the Club, and its new manager, as the main reasons behind his decision - insisting the opportunity to join the Lilywhites was just too good to turn down.
“When I came down, met Simon Grayson and had a look round the place – how can you ignore a Club like this?” he added.
“Everything Simon Grayson had to say to me was intriguing and I felt wanted and welcome.
“I was looking for a manager that would improve me as a player.”
The midfielder made over 150 appearances for Motherwell and was quick to thank his former employers for a “fantastic four years”, but admitted he felt it was time for a change of scenery.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity and chance they’ve given me,” he said.
“But I just felt a new challenge was right for me and, like I say, the stature of this Club is massive and I think it’s going places.”
With two Jamaica caps under his belt, the winger clearly has undeniable ability, something he believes he developed further during his time at Fir Park.
“A lot has changed for me, I’ve learnt a lot going up there – you get to play against teams like Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and when you come across players like Emilio Izaguirre three or four times a year, your game has to improve,” he said.
“I felt that, especially this season, I made it more of a better battle between us and I suppose when you get to play in Europe, you get that experience.”
Having started his career at Shrewsbury Town, PNE’s new recruit is familiar with current Lilywhites defender Shane Cansdell-Sherriff.
The duo played together for a year at Greenhous Meadow and Humphrey is looking forward to being reunited with the Australian come the start of pre-season training in a few weeks’ time.
“We kind of fell out of contact so I haven’t really spoken to Shane,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him on our first day because he was a top lad and a good friend of mine at Shrewsbury.”