Peterhead midfielder Grant Savoury has revealed the chance to play at a higher level is the reason behind his departure from the Blue Toon.
Savoury, who is contracted until 2023 at Balmoor, has been interesting a couple of Championship clubs and looks set to depart Peterhead.
He tweeted his farewells to the club on Thursday after prolonged discussions over his future.
Savoury joined the club on a two-year deal last year after being out of the game for a year. He was an impressive figure as the club stayed in League One, scoring six times in 28 games.
“I’ve had a couple of teams interested in the last couple of weeks and I’m getting closer to getting something over the line,” said Savoury.
“It felt like it was the right time to get it out and I felt it was better coming from me.
Been an absolute pleasure to play for this club and enjoyed every minute of it. I want to say a massive thanks to all the staff and players who have been brilliant with me from the start!💙🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/p2oZ7qerld
— Grant Savoury (@Grant_Savoury) June 2, 2022
“It was a difficult decision as joining Peterhead is the best decision I ever made. I feel I have progressed while I have been here. All the players and staff have been brilliant for me.
“I felt I need to take the emotional factor out of it; I want to play at the highest level I can and maybe get more opportunities to show I can progress even higher.
“Full-time football is what I want to get back to and I know that’s where I will be able to improve more as a player.”
Savoury came through the ranks at Celtic and had a brief loan spell at Edinburgh City before his release in 2020.
The 21-year-old had trials at Queen of the South and Morton but injuries prevented him earning a deal at the Championship clubs.
He is grateful for Peterhead helping get his career back on track and giving him the platform to return to full-time football.
“Being out of football was one of the hardest years of my life,” added Savoury. “Coming out of Celtic was difficult and it was hard finding a team the following season having not played a game.
“It improved my mental strength to keep pushing and keep working hard. I felt slightly unfortunate with the injuries but, at the same time, these things happen in football.
“I needed to get back playing and Jim put me in straight away. I did well enough to stay in the team and playing games is exactly what I needed, after such a long period without them.
“Before coming to Peterhead I had never played central midfield – I was always a winger or a number 10. I like to think that will help me in the future as I’ve shown I can play that position and if a manager knows you can play more than one position, it increases the chances of him wanting you.”
He also had special thanks to McInally, for taking a chance on him less than 12 months ago.
“He’s been brilliant with me from the very start,” said Savoury. “He put a lot of confidence back in my game, which I felt I had missed from my time out.
“The other staff members, like Simon Ferry, helped me out as well. The boys in the team all contributed to me improving as a player.
“I want to keep improving and getting as a player. A lot can happen in a short space of time – I haven’t even played a full season at Peterhead but feel I have done well.
“It’s important to keep focused even when things aren’t going well. You will have some managers who like you and some who won’t, but if you believe in yourself and match that with hard work, you will end up going back up the way.”