Ali Crawford’s permanent move to St Johnstone has been made official. 

Crawford, 30, signed for the Saints from Bolton Wanderers on deadline day last summer, and has now completed the move on a permanent basis.

"From the moment I joined St Johnstone I had a really good feeling about the football club,” said Crawford, via the St Johnstone’s website. 

“The lads in the dressing-room all made me feel welcome and that was very important.”

Crawford has been a regular starter in the Scottish Premiership, for the bottom place side. He has signed a two-year contract with the club to keep him there until 2024. 

"From early on, I always hoped to stay here beyond the initial loan deal and to now be signed until 2024 is great for myself and my family to have that stability.

"On a personal level, I know there is hard work ahead and I'm ready to roll my sleeves up. I want to help the team win games of football.”

Crawford joined Bolton in 2019 and featured in 33 league games for the club in that time. He initially left the club in the Summer of 2020, but quickly re-joined Wanderers in favour of several other League One clubs.

Bolton Wanderers are currently 16th in the League One table and are on a three game losing streak. Their last league win came in a 3-0 rout of Doncaster Rovers on November 23. 

In that time, they also qualified for the next round of the Football League Trophy, which they participate in for their next game. 

They next face an away trip to Hartlepool on January 4 in the third round. Their next league game comes at home to Wycombe Wanderers on January 11.

The Verdict

Crawford has never been an essential figure for Bolton Wanderers in his time at the club. 

This deal works for all parties involved. Bolton gets his wages off their books to give them some room to manoeuvre this January, while the player moves to a club where he is happy. 

Whether or not Bolton will sign someone else this window remains to be seen, but this is a positive step in the right direction.