Dundalk FC are pleased to announce the double signing of defender Alan Keane and midfielder Dean Shiels.

The pair join the club on free transfers with Shiels’ subject to international clearance.

Keane has spent his entire career in the west of Ireland beginning his career with Galway United and helped them to promotion in 2006 before moving to Sligo Rovers where he enjoyed huge success.

From 2009 he won a clean sweep of domestic honours – an EA Sports Cup, the Setanta Cup, three FAI Cups and the SSE Airtricity League in 2012 as well as competing in the Europa and Champions Legaue.

In all the 31 year-old made over 200 appearances for the Bit o’Red before entering retirement at the end of last season.

Speaking to dundalkfc.com after signing for the club, Keane expressed his happiness at joining the champions and admitted it was only a club like Dundalk that could get him out of retirement.

“I am very happy to have signed for the club. It’s a great place to be around at the moment. You could see with the publicity that they got in Ireland that they are a club going places so I was pleased to get the call.

“Stephen Kenny can be a very persuasive man! But it was only a club like Dundalk that could have got me out of retirement. A club at the top with trying to win the league again and possibly the Cup with the European games to come it’s great.

“It’s going to be exciting and hectic but looking forward to the challenge. It’s a good place to be and to have the chance to win the league again for me is great. We need to win the league again to progress and have nights like this week.

“That’s the target and hopefully we can end up with trophies and a good European campaign at of the season. We have to focus on Wexford Youths now and get back to the bread and butter.”

Also speaking on his arrival was Shiels and the midfielder is delighted to have signed for the club and insists he is here to ‘win things’.

“Delighted to have signed for the club. It’s a good club here and you can see with the way they have done in Europe they are progressing nicely.

“I want to win things. I have won trophies in Scotland and Dundalk have won trophies over the last couple of years so that’s what I have come here for. I want to win as many things as possible and the lure of European football helped too.

“I used to live with Stephen O’Donnell at Arsenal for a few years so I know him quite well and that helps but I am looking forward to it. I have heard nothing about good things about the club and the league so I can’t wait to get started.”

Shiels joins having spent the last four seasons at Glasgow Rangers. The Northern Ireland international helped the club to successive promotions on their way back to the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Challenge Cup before being released in the summer.

Before his stint in Glasgow the 31 year-old lined out for Hibernian, Doncaster Rovers and had two separate spells at Kilmarnock, managed by his father Kenny, where he won the Scottish League Cup in 2012.

The Maghera native has also lined out for his country on 14 occasions at senior level as well as every age group from U16 upwards.