Upwardly mobile Moult completes his £500,000 transfer to Preston
● Lure of English Championship proves too strong for Motherwell striker who scored 50 goals for club
Louis Moult has said his decision to move from Motherwell to Preston North End was to take his career path on an upward trajectory.
The 25-year-old striker will join the English Championship club on 1 January after the clubs agreed a fee understood to be around £500,000 for the player whose contract was due to expire at the end of the season.
Up until his recent hamstring injury, which could keep him out until he moves to Deepdale, Moult had scored 50 goals in 98 competitive appearances in two and a half seasons for the Steelmen following his arrival from Wrexham in 2015.
In a video posted on Motherwell’s official Twitter account, the former Stoke City and Northampton Town forward admitted knowing that “it was going to be my last season” at Fir Park.
He said he is relishing his move to Preston, managed by former Hamilton Academical manager Alex Neil, after agreeing a three-and-a-half year deal.
“I can’t wait to get going,” said Moult, who rejected several offers from the Fir Park club to extend his stay. “In my career path it is a step in the right direction, it is Championship football. I can’t wait to get going for Preston.
“First and foremost it is a massive compliment that Championship clubs were looking at me and Preston have come for me.
“It show how much they wanted me in the door by paying a fee for me and I appreciate that and it us to me to repay that faith.”
Moult is the Ladbrokes Premiership’s leading scorer this campaign with eight league goals, netting a further six on the club’s run to the Betfred Cup final.
The Englishman was sincere and lavish with his praise of Motherwell and Scottish football.
He said: “This club has been ridiculous for me, in terms of my family, my football, on and off the pitch, it was the right move for me and I enjoyed every moment of it.
“If you would have said I would score 50 goals in two and a half seasons I would have laughed at you. But that was just the icing on the cake for me.”
Manager Stephen Robinson told Motherwell’s official website that the club had little option but to cash in on an asset instead of losing Moult for nothing in the summer.
He said: “Louis has made a terrific contribution to this football club. We are sorry to see him go at this stage but he leaves with our thanks and best wishes.
“The player made clear he would not be extending his stay after the end of the season. So when the offer came from Preston, we had to weigh up whether the money would benefit the club against the risk and reward of keeping him and then allowing him to leave on a free.
“We accepted the offer based on that it would be best for all parties now that a club has agreed a contract with the player.”
A statement on the Preston website said: “The player has agreed to sign a three-and-ahalf year deal with the Lilywhites and subject to national and international clearance will be eligible to pull on the North End shirt for the first time in the Emirates FA Cup tie at Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday 6 January.”
Moult has been an oustanding signing for Motherwell. He was brought to the club by former manager Ian Baraclough in summer 2015 and scored 15 league goals in each of his two full seasons at Fir Park.
He saved some of his best performances for this season’s Betfred Cup, scoring twice in the 3-0 quarter-final win over Aberdeen, and bagging another double in the Hampden victory over Rangers in the semis.