MORTON boss Ray McKinnon revealed new signing Gregor Buchanan turned down an offer from the Premiership to move to Cappielow. 

The defender became McKinnon’s second summer signing at Morton yesterday.

The centre-back joins the club after spells with St Mirren and Livingston last season, picking up the rare accolade achieving a double promotion with both sides reaching the Premiership.

He becomes the seventh player to sign up at Cappielow for next season, and McKinnon was delighted to bring in a high quality player such as Buchanan.

He told the Tele: “He’s a good solid defender, and knows the league well. He had an offer to stay full-time in the Premiership but decided to come here, and we’re delighted. 

“He’s another player that has shown that he’s ambitious and he is buying into what we want to achieve here.

“He’s 6’3”, he’s going to come in and play at right centre-half for us and bring that competition up.

“We want to be successful, and we want to put a team together that wants to achieve together, and he’s bought into that.

“I think he’ll be very good for us, the team is beginning to take shape.”

As well as bringing in two new players in Buchanan and Chris Millar, Derek Gaston also re-signed with the Ton.

McKinnon has stated previously he wants two experienced goalkeepers in his squad for next season, and the former Dundee United boss is delighted Gaston is up for a challenge.

He added: “We want everyone to have competition here, and there is another offer in for another number one goalkeeper, who has options elsewhere as well.

“We’re delighted to have Derek. He’s proven at this level, a good shotstopper, but we do want to be as competitive as possible, and he is aware we are going to bring in another keeper to challenge him.

“What was great from my point of view was he’s up for the challenge and that’s what you want. I am loving his attitude and now it’s up to us to see if we can get someone in to compete with him.”

The manager insisted lots of work is being done behind the scenes to hopefully bring in some more new faces early next 
week.

And he told the Tele talks were continuing with the rest of the squad, with some of the remaining out of contract players still away on holiday.

He added: “We’ve put offers to other players and we’re working hard but we need to be patient because of the time of year it is. I think we’ll get there and we’ll put a really strong squad together.”