Peterborough United have confirmed the signing of Exeter City winger Joel Randall after fighting off competition from Scottish giants Celtic and Premier League side Norwich City.

On the back of a breakthrough season in 2020/21, which saw Randall score 10 times and add five assists for the Grecians, the 21-year-old was subject to significant interest during the summer.

Celtic and newly promoted Norwich are both understood to have been in pursuit of the young attacker but the Posh confirmed late yesterday that they had won the race for him.

Speaking to the Peterborough website, manager Darren Ferguson praised the club chairman for pushing the move through amid significant interest from elsewhere.

He said: "The boy is a real talent and there were a lot of clubs looking but the owners have stumped up the cash to bring him here."

Randall has signed a four-year deal with the Championship new boys after joining for a fee reported to be over £1 million.

The latest Exeter academy product to secure a move to a bigger EFL club, the winger made his debut in the 2018/19 campaign, coming off the bench to score in a 2-0 win against Bristol Rovers, and has gone on to make 44 appearances – scoring 13 times and adding six assists.

The Verdict

This looks like a fantastic signing for Peterborough, particularly given the interest from the likes of Celtic and Norwich.

It seems the prospect of regular Championship football has convinced the 21-year-old that the Posh is the right place for him, while their record helping attacking talent produce big numbers in recent years was likely also a factor.

Missing out on Randall continues what has been a difficult period for Celtic, who were knocked out of the Champions League and lost to Hearts in their SPFL opener last weekend.