Glens sign former Crewe Alexandra full-back Cooney

Ryan Cooney is the fifth addition to the Glentoran squad this close season

Glentoran have signed former Crewe Alexandra right-back Ryan Cooney on a free transfer.

The 25-year-old defender has agreed a two-year contract with the Irish Premiership club.

Cooney has made over 250 senior appearances in English football, having begun his career at Bury, before moving to Morecambe, where he played 128 times and helped the club secure promotion from League Two in 2021.

He joined Crewe before the start of the 2023-24 season, featuring 47 times in his debut campaign and adding a further 43 appearances last term as the club clinched a top-half finish in League Two.

"Ryan is a player we identified early and carried out detailed background work on before making our move," explained Glentoran manager Declan Devine.

"He came highly recommended and the scouting reports, performance analysis and data compiled by our lead analyst all pointed to a player with the quality, mentality and experience to succeed at Glentoran.

"He has played consistently at a strong level in the English Football League and possesses exactly the type of attributes we want in a player. He is athletic, technically very good and has a real hunger to keep improving and achieve success."

Cooney commented: "I am absolutely delighted to join Glentoran. After speaking with Declan and Paul, I was really impressed by the ambition of the club and the clear vision they had for my role in the squad."

The addition of Cooney is Glentoran's fifth recruit of the close season with Liam Burt, Jordan Stewart, Daniel Larmour and Pat Hoban having also signed for the east Belfast outfit.