Northern Ireland international who 'attracted a lot of interest' admits Wycombe Wanderers move was 'no-brainer'

Boyd-Munce previously worked with Dodds during his time at Birmingham City, who he joined in 2016 after coming through the ranks at Glentoran before moving onto Middlesbrough and St Mirren.

The 25-year-old was one of the Buddies’ standout stars last season, scoring five times in 30 Scottish Premiership appearances – form which attracted significant interest from clubs in England and further afield.

Boyd-Munce, who has earned two senior Northern Ireland caps and was included in their squad for a recent friendly double-header against Denmark and Iceland, has now opted to join Wycombe and is excited by the club’s vision.

“As soon as I heard it was an option, and after speaking to the guys here, it was a no-brainer,” Boyd-Munce told the club’s website. “When I heard about the academy, the new pitch and the project here going forward, it’s hard not to be excited.

“Mike was the first to take me under his wing when I moved over to England when I was 15-16 and I’ve followed his progress ever since. I’m really excited to work with him again.

“He showed me a totally new side to football that I’d never seen back home and broadened my horizons. Hopefully I can take more from him and add that to my game.”

Dodds, who previously worked for Sunderland before taking on the Wycombe job, feels Boyd-Munce fits his squad perfectly.

“Caolan was a fantastic young talent at Birmingham and I’m really excited to work with him again and develop his game further now that he’s picked up great experience in senior football in the last few years,” he said. “He’s a really energetic player and suits the way we want to play and we’re looking forward to bringing him into the squad for the new season.”

Boyd-Munce scored seven times and provided five assists in 81 appearances for St Mirren with Northern Ireland-born boss Stephen Robinson expressing a strong desire to retain his services, but admitted the club “just can't get near the numbers that Caolan may get elsewhere”.

Tom Stockwell, Director of Football Strategy at Wycombe, is confident Boyd-Munce can make an immediate impact.

“Caolan is another exciting addition to the squad with experience in both England and Scotland with Birmingham, Middlesbrough and St Mirren, and we’re confident he will hit the ground running,” he said. “He enjoyed an excellent season personally after breaking into the Northern Irish squad and attracted a lot of interest.

"When he heard about the ambition of the project here – coupled with his previous working relationship with Mike at Birmingham – he chose to be part of what we’re building and we’re looking forward to seeing him in the heart of the Wycombe midfield next season.”

Reflecting on his time at St Mirren, Boyd-Munce told the club’s media channel last month: "It’s a very special place.

"My son was born here, we’re grown as a family here and I’ve grown as a person here.

"There are people who are very close to me and will always be close to me.

"I’ve loved every minute of it and I hope people have special memories of the time I’ve been here."