Dubliner Warren O’Hora has described the phone call inviting him to join Scottish side Hibernian as a “pinch myself moment”.
The 25-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the Premiership side and has already met his new teammates.
A former Bohemians prospect, who featured for the first-team at Dalymount Park before moving to Brighton in January 2018, at the age of 18, his contract at MK Dons expired at the end of last season.
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He said: “I couldn’t believe it when the call came to be honest. It was excitement and a small bit of disbelief that a club this size wanted to come and sign me.
“I came up and saw the facilities, the stadium was amazing, the city of Edinburgh is lovely; I was really taken aback by it. I couldn’t say no, it was a no brainer for me and my family. I am really happy and really looking forward to it.
“This feels like a big move in my career. It’s massive for me and my partner because we’re starting a family soon.
“Straight away I felt like this is a place I could call home. When we came up to look, we thought it was amazing, and when the Club put their arm around me, it made it clear we’d be able to settle in.”
O’Hora had other options in England but opted to move north of the border after spells in League One and League Two with MK Dons.
“It’s an experience and a challenge that I haven’t had but I’m looking forward to it. It’s a good time in my career to challenge myself against the good teams in this league,” he said.
“To play for a big club like this is another challenge in itself and that’s something I’ll relish and enjoy. Like I said, when the call came, it was a pinch myself moment.”
Now 25, O’Hora has made almost 200 first-team appearances, some of those as captain of MK Dons.
Hibs boss David Gray said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to bring Warren to the Club.
“As a defender, he’s a brave, aggressive organiser, with great leadership qualities. He’s very comfortable on the ball and confident playing out from the back. We look forward to working with him.”
A product of the Bohs academy, he worked his way up to the first-team at the League of Ireland outfit before sealing his move to Brighton.
During his spell with the Seagulls, he won the team’s Player of the Year award in their Premier League 2 side.
After securing first-team football on-loan at MK Dons, he turned that switch into a long-term move in January 2021 and stayed there for another three-and-a-half years before arriving at Hibs.
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