EXCITING Jamaica left-sided player Demar Phillips says he is eagerly looking forward to the next chapter of his professional career.

The 31-year-old St Thomas native told the Jamaica Observer that his transfer from Norwegian Premier League outfit Aalesund FK to US Major League franchise Real Salt Lake takes him to a new plateau as he approaches the twilight of his playing days.

Apart from offering him a fresh challenge in playing the game in a new jurisdiction, Phillips said moving south from Europe brings him enticingly closer to his relatives and six-year-old daughter Jadyn.

And no wonder Phillips, a Reggae Boyz veteran, was able to manage a gleam in his eyes and a smile on his face as he weighed in on the mouthwatering prospects of playing closer to home.

“I am looking forward to it very much, it has been some time since I have been linking with some clubs there (in the US) and now I get the opportunity to go there and play and that is very motivating to me,” he noted.

“Also, I am happy because now I am closer to my family and I am just enjoying everything at the moment.”

The transfer deal — a one-year contract in the first instance — has options for extensions contingent on performance by Phillips, who also had a frustrating two-year spell at English club, Stoke City.

“It’s a full transfer with the option to sign two or three more years depending on my performance, and I am just looking forward to go there and playing for them,” said the fleet-of-foot wide player.

Though he has not met face-to-face with coach Jeff Cassar and his new teammates, Phillips said his work started immediately after sealing the deal recently.

“I keep in touch with the coach and I am presently on a programme here, so anywhere around the 15th of January, I should be going to meet with the coach and the players,” he said.

But leaving Aalesund after five productive years, having played some 120 games and scored 12 goals, was not easy for the diminutive player, but he claimed the time was right for exploring new horizons.

“I think the move was right at this time and will be better for me… you know in football you can’t stay one place forever,” he explained.

Details of the deal were not made public.

As he says his goodbye to a club and city that embraced him wholeheartedly, Phillips is taking a lot with him.

“I have learnt a lot playing in Scandinavia, physically and mentally. Playing in Norway is similar to playing in the Championship in England where it’s very aggressive and physical.

“And I must say It was a good time I spent in Norway and I am grateful for the experience, and I am now just looking forward to the move and settling in at my new club.”

Phillips, a former Waterhouse FC standout, told the Observer that he has no doubt that the fans of Aalesund will miss him as much as he will miss them.

“The fans have me as one of the best players in the team, so I am definitely a fan favourite and they showed me so much love because every time I went out there, I did my best.

“I think they are going to miss me as I have been getting calls from fans and messages on my Facebook asking why I am leaving,” he shared.

Three other Jamaicans had stints at Aalesund during Phillips’ tenure there, and the latter outlined the importance of having “family” around in a strange land.

“It’s so fortunate for me that I had like three other Jamaicans on the same team with me and that made it much easier for me and helped my game as well. Rodolph Austin, Jason Morrison and Tremaine Stewart used to play there and we were really close as we used to go out and have lunch, so all that made it easy for me, because being in that part of the world can be very frustrating,” Phillips outlined.

A member of Jamaica’s victorious team at the CFU Caribbean Cup held in Jamaica last November, Phillips has some 65 senior caps and has scored 12 goals.