Fran Alonso has agreed a deal with former Lewes defender Caitlin Hayes which sees the player move north of the border to join him at Celtic.
The 24-year-old left the Sussex club at the end of last season following a successful one-year spell with The Rookettes. She was signed by Alonso last summer when he was manager at The Dripping Pan.
Hayes made 11 appearances for Lewes in the FA Women’s Championship, helping the club record one of the more impressive defensive records in the division. She also represented the club in the domestic cups, starring in a Women’s FA Cup tie against former FA Women’s Super League champions Arsenal at Meadow Park.
The defender represented both Manchester City and Manchester United as a youth before later going on to represent Everton. Hayes also had a spell in the United States with Mississippi College before joining Cypriot side Barcelona FA who she represented in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Celtic today confirmed the capture of Hayes on their official website and the player told the club’s official media sources “It’s obviously really exciting times with what Celtic are doing, going full time and investing money and what’s happening to the women’s game in Scotland in general. It’s also attractive because it’s nice to be part of something that’s building.
“It’s my family team as well. I was brought up in a Rugby League house, but I was running around in Celtic tops when I was a kid, so that was also a big lure to the club because I was brought up watching and supporting them, from a distance obviously but I’m super honoured and it’s a blessing to be here.
“I really liked playing under Fran at Lewes. It’s important for me to play for a coach and feel valued and seen as a person before a player, and everything Fran does demonstrates that he sees the person first.
“That is why he gets the reaction he gets, that wanting to run through a brick wall for him and the belief and trust in what he puts in place.”
Hayes will hope to make her Celtic debut when the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) returns next month following a seven-month absence as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.