Following Richard King’s transfer to Scottish Premier League (SPL) club St Mirren FC, Cavalier Head Coach Rudolph Speid believes the move is a potential turning point in how top footballing nations view local players.

The move was confirmed by St Mirren on Tuesday with Reggae Boy King signing a two-year deal with an option for a third. No transfer fee was disclosed but the Jamaica Observer understands that it’s a record sale for Cavalier.

St Mirren was reportedly impressed with the performances of the 23-year-old centre back over the past 12 months which saw him captain Cavalier to consecutive Jamaica Premier League titles and the 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup. He also excelled with the national team, gaining high praise from Head Coach Steve McClaren.

The Observer understands that several European clubs were interested in the 23-year-old defender, including from the English Premier League. Aston Villa, Newcastle and West Ham were linked with a move in the past, while Rangers strongly considered King’s signing in January, though serious talks never materialised.

St Mirren isn’t seen as one of the major clubs in Scotland, compared to the likes of perennial champions Celtic and Rangers, but they finished sixth in the SPL last season and participated in the UEFA Conference League, ending their 37-year European drought.

Speid told the Observer that St Mirren will provide the best avenue for King’s development, despite heavy interest elsewhere.

“There’s a high possibility that he’ll be playing from the jump so that’s why we chose this club because there were others asking about him. How we try to work at Cavalier is the player has an objective [that] he wants to go, we have an objective and this club had an objective,” Speid said.

“We met with the coach [who told us] what he wanted to do, so eventually this looked like the right place to start out. He’ll get to play week in, week out and just move his career forward. He could have gone to other teams that were looking at him and then sit on the bench and it doesn’t work out for him. So when we thought about everything, it was the right place for him to go.”

Speid is optimistic King’s move will inspire other Jamaican clubs while also changing the perception of local football.

“I never look at things from a Cavalier point of view, I always look at things from a Jamaican point of view,” he said.

“We need to just keep on putting these players overseas from any club which helps the country to be looked at as a serious football nation and also give other young players opportunities. So I never ever look at it as a Cavalier thing, everything I’ve done is always to help Jamaica and I think this will help, not just Cavalier, but other clubs.”

After his successful schoolboy football career with Clarendon College, King played a pivotal role in Cavalier’s league triumphs in 2021, 2024 and 2025.

While admitting he will miss his captain, Speid believes the club will transition well.

“Last year, I lost my two captains [Kyle Ming and Gadail Irving] and we were able to have our most successful year ever so I’m not worried,” he said. “I’m just looking at the next player who wants to step up in King’s shoes and just facilitate that player as much as possible.

“I’m not worried, we’re just happy for King and when we restart training in July, we look around what we have and what we have to do to repeat what we did this year so it’s not an issue for us.”

Now on Concacaf Gold Cup duty with the Reggae Boyz in the USA, King’s deal to St Mirren is subject to a medical and visa approval, which is expected to be successful.

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson says he’s looking forward to working with the Jamaican star.

“We had tracked him for a long time and kept up with his progress. He has progressed really well under Steve McLaren and the Jamaican national team. He’s quick, he’s strong and he’s a project for us, as well as it’s a step up in level,” Robinson said.

“I had a really good conversation with Richard and the Cavalier owner and we were are aligned in our thinking in terms of giving Richard a good platform. We believe he can be a really good asset for the football club when he returns from playing in the Concacaf Gold Cup. We think Richard will add real competition to the boys we’ve already got and give us another option in that department.”