ALI CRAWFORD has switched to St Johnstone on a permanent deal after leaving Bolton Wanderers.

The former Hamilton Accies attacker has penned a deal that will keep him at McDiarmid Park until the summer of 2024.

Crawford spent the first half of the season on loan from Bolton and was keen to move to McDiarmid Park on a permanent basis.

After signing his new deal, he said: "From the moment I joined St Johnstone I had a really good feeling about the football club.

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

"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. 

"We find ourselves in a position in the Premiership table that we do not want to be in. It's up to us, the players, to get us out of it and climb up the table.

"I know we are all ready to face this challenge. We owe it to the manager, the staff and the supporters to start getting points on the board.

"We have a very good squad and the manager has already made one or two signings to improve the quality and there may well be one or two more to come in.

"Anything that creates competition for places is a good thing. It's all about everybody doing what's best for the Football Club and giving 100 percent."

Meanwhile, Saints also announced that goalkeeper Jack Wills has signed a new contract until the summer of 2024.

Defender Lars Dendoncker has also returned to his parent club, Brighton after his loan spell ended.