Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Andy Lyons has left Bohemians to sign for arch-rivals Shamrock Rovers as the champions strengthen their hand ahead of the new SSE Airtricity League season.
Lyons, 21, a versatile full-back, has been a regular for club and country and had been set for a switch to an EFL club in England but instead has opted for a move to the Hoops.
He has signed a "multi-year" deal in Tallaght, admitting it is "tough" to go "across the Liffey" from his now former club to the southside of Dublin.
In what will be seen as a jibe by Bohs, the Shamrock Rovers head coach Stephen Bradley said that Lyons "recognised that he wanted to be with a team that is winning and competing for things".
Lyons, meanwhile, said of the move: "There was a bit of interest from the UK, but I just felt that the next step for me was a full-time club, and the league champions - there's no better place to go.
"Rovers have won trophies and there's the European factor as well. They played six games last season and obviously this year we're hoping to win a few games in Europe and push on to that next level. My time at Bohs was brilliant and I've a lot of friends there. I think not getting Europe with Bohs was very disappointing and my experience last year meant that I just really want to go back there and experience that again.
"It's about making that next step for me in my development in my career. It's obviously a tough move, across the Liffey, but I knew myself it was all from a footballing perspective. I spoke to everyone at Bohs and outlined my reasons. It was the excitement that Europe gave me and the prospect of doing that again this year and trying to win league titles. I'm buzzing to get back on the training pitch on Monday, I can't wait to get started."
Lyons reiterated the prospect of Champions League football was a big factor in his decision.
"It's a massive club, obviously in everything they've shown in the last few years with their league titles and European runs, and I'm delighted to be part of that now.
"I got a call from Stephen Bradley and once I started chatting to him and hearing his plans and vision for me, that was something I was really excited about. England and the UK is my ambition, but he outlined what his plan is for me, and I think this is the perfect club for me.
"There is that European exposure and hopefully some leagues and cups as well. It's definitely going to aid my development and Stephen has a clear plan in place for me so I'm looking forward to it."
Bradley is thrilled to get his man and spoke about increasing the competition in their squad.
The Hoops head coach revealed he has tried to sign him previously: "Andy has a lot of attributes that we like and that we feel fit how we play. We've liked him for a while. We tried to sign Andy a couple of years back and it didn't quite come off.
"So we're delighted to get him this time around because he fits our profile of player and how we try to play. When we had a conversation, it was pretty straightforward. Andy recognised that he wanted to be with a team that is winning and competing for things.
"It's a chance to improve every aspect and we obviously represented that chance and that opportunity for him. We believe that there's a lot of development in Andy.
"That's one aspect of him coming here that we spoke about. We know we can help him be a better player and we feel he can help us be a better team, so it works for both.
"He suits how we play and adds real strength to the squad and he's another player who can play in a number of positions as well, which is really important for us with the amount of games that we play throughout the year. It's important to have a competitive squad and I feel we have that now."
