Ireland's Knight and Manning secure Championship moves

IRELAND'S JASON KNIGHT AND RYAN MANNING have both secured moves to the Championship this week. Manning joins Southampton from Swansea, while Knight joins Bristol City from Derby County.

Jason Knight

Knight played 150 times for the Rams across four seasons at Pride Park and has moved for a region of €2.3m.

The Dublin native has also played 20 times for Ireland and has become a key cog for Stephen Kenny over the last number of years.

Knight will now link up with his compatriots Mark Sykes and Max O’Leary at Ashton Gate for the coming season

Speaking on his move to the West Country, the Ireland midfielder admitted that his main goal was getting promoted with his new club,

“I want to be the best player I can be. To come into the club and be as good as my career can take me, and that's down to me," said Knight on the club's website on Monday. "As a team, I want us to get promoted and there's no shying away from that. I've come here to get promoted and push on in my career – that’s the ultimate goal."

Done Deal, Jason Knight has signed for Bristol City!🇮🇪

Still only 22, it’s been clear for a while Jason needed to move from Derby and Bristol City should be the right club for Knight at the current moment of his career.

Hopefully a big year ahead.🤞🏼 pic.twitter.com/HZmeeWvTt9

— Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker) July 11, 2023

Adding on what convinced him to make the move, Knight admitted that the club's eagerness to secure his services was a big factor in saying 'yes' to a move.

“They've shown a real eagerness to get me here, which is always nice as a footballer - to be wanted. So that's been a big part of it as well," he added.

“Obviously, the Manager (Nigel Pearson) was at Derby County a while back as well so I know him. But, I've had a good number of chats with him and he sees me as a big part of the plans going forward.”

Ryan Manning

Galway native Ryan Manning also made the move to new Championship club Southampton on Monday

The 27-year-old left-back is Saints’ first arrival of the summer transfer window and has joined the club on a four-year deal, signing as a free agent from Swansea City.

Manning has six Ireland caps to his name. The Galway native moved to England from former club Galway United in 2015. He has played for the likes of Queen's Park Rangers, Rotherham (loan), and others.

Southampton's new purchase was speaking about his own move on Monday and explained he was 'absolutely delighted' to sign for the club.

"I'm absolutely delighted to be here. I'm over the moon and I can't wait to get started," he said on the club's website. "It's a massive club, been in the Premier League for so many years, and I'm just excited about the challenge of getting it back there.

Russell Martin added his own take on the move and praised the character of his new recruit: "Firstly, he's a brilliant character. He's got a real edge to him. He's got a fantastic personality, a lot of energy and was a really important member of our group at Swansea, not just on the pitch but off it as well.

“In terms of on the pitch, he's an outstanding footballer who has a brilliant understanding of what we want. He played in a few positions for us previously, and he's coming here as a left-back because he ended up performing as one of the best left-backs in the division last year.