BOLTON WANDERERS HAVE completed the signing of 18-year-old UCD defender Eric Yoro. 

The centre-back will initially play for Bolton’s ‘B’ team, having made his first-team debut for UCD at the start of this season. Yoro was initially an attacking player before he joined UCD in 2020.

“Every game you play you learn and it’s been a brilliant experience for me there,” Yoro told the Bolton website. 

“I had a call from the manager to say Bolton were interested. I was shocked. I didn’t know what to say. I came in for a meeting to discuss everything and I was delighted. I know Bolton is such a big club so I knew to come here would be a good decision for me and my family.

“It all happened very quickly and I’m happy to be here. I can’t wait to get started. With the coaching I’ll get in the B team if I keep working hard and listening and learning, hopefully at some point I can get towards the first team.”

The misalignment of the academic year and the League of Ireland season means it was widely anticipated that UCD – struggling at the foot of the Premier Division after promotion last year – would be further depleted this summer. Thus it is proving, with Irish U21 international Liam Kerrigan set for a move to Como of Serie B and striker Colm Whelan’s expected departure scuppered by a long-term knee injury that has ruled him out of the rest of the season. 

Elsewhere, Shelbourne today announced their young attacking player, Jack Moylan, has signed a contract until the end of the 2023 season. He is the latest Shels player to pen an extension of late, following JJ Lunney, Shane Farrell, Jad Hakiki, Gavin Molloy and Brian McManus.