Latics Complete Kay Capture

The club has completed the signing of midfielder Josh Kay on a two-year contract.

Operating primarily in wide areas, the 27-year-old also has an eye for goal and boasts a promotion from the National League with Barrow during his career.

Kay joins Latics from AFC Fylde, where he scored four times last season, making 26 starts and seven substitute appearances.

“I can’t wait to get started, everyone knows how big a club Oldham is and this is an opportunity I am really excited about,” Kay said.

“What makes this such a great move for me is overall size of the club, the passion of the supporters and the possibility of pushing for promotion. That’s what everyone wants, we will all be striving to get the club back into the EFL and I want to be a part of that.

“I’m a player who likes to be creative, contribute to goals and chip in with a few myself, mainly from outside the box.

“I’ve been promoted from this league before and the qualities you need as much as anything are grit and determination. There are definitely challenges in this division but I have no doubt that we have the facilities and the players to be successful.”

Kay has spent three separate spells at Fylde in total, becoming his first senior club as he made his first-team debut as an 18-year-old.

The promise he displayed earned him a move to Barnsley, then of the EFL Championship, where he spent two seasons. His time at Oakwell included loans back to Fylde and to Tranmere, where he worked briefly with Latics manager Micky Mellon.

Kay spent a season in League Two with Chesterfield, whilst his five years at Barrow included a National League title win in 2020, contributing seven goals during the promotion campaign. In total, he scored 23 times in 173 games at Holker Street.

On his latest summer capture, Mellon said: “We’ve been looking for that player who can operate in wide areas and can help provide width high up the pitch.

“Josh will be able to do that, he has been successful in winning promotion from this league before and he has also played a lot of football in League Two.

“I have worked with Josh before, he can score goals and is a strong and committed boy. We wanted to add some athleticism to the side and he will definitely bring that as well.”