Bohemians sign Estonian Internationals Martin Miller and Michael Lilander

Declan Devine

Declan Devine signs two Estonian Internationals Credit: Conor Ryan (ETPhotos)

Bohemians have confirmed the signing of Estonian internationals Martin Miller and Michael Lilander on multi-year deals.

Both 26-year-old players, midfielder Miller and defender Lilander, join the club from Flora Tallinn.

Manager Declan Devine expressed his enthusiasm for the new signings, stating, “Martin and Michael have been on our radar for a number of months. They bring tremendously versatility in areas where we felt we had to strengthen. They also bring great experience - from playing in European games, winning leagues and playing at international level."

“Michael can play in multiple positions across the back four. He is a very technical and attack-minded full-back. We certainly feel he will add competition and real quality to our defensive unit."

Miller's experience and attacking prowess were also praised by Devine.

“Martin is a player with great experience. He has 31 international caps, has played at a very high level and has five league titles under his belt. He is a very attack-minded midfield player."

These signings follow the arrivals of fellow Estonian Sten Reinkort, and Dubliners Rob Cornwall and Dayle Rooney, bringing Bohemian FC's total first-team players signed for 2024 to 20.

Devine elaborated on the club's strategic approach, “We could have filled our squad quickly at the start of the closed season... But from day one, we have wanted to bring in the right players to the club, and improve what we have already."

He emphasised the importance of building a strong team foundation, “We have a very strong nucleus in our squad - players who know the league. We are very fortunate that we have that spine here already."

Devine also discussed the challenges and efforts in enhancing the team, “The reality is that to add extra quality to the group this window, we have had to look beyond the league, and that can take time... So we have worked extremely hard over the closed season to identify players outside the league who could really add to the group."



Bohemian FC's pre-season continued with a 1-1 draw against St Patrick's Athletic, with Devine noting, “We were dominant in the game in the opening period... Six or seven of our younger players came off the bench for the last 20 minutes, and really excelled."

He praised several players for their performances, including Nickson Okosun, who scored in the match, “Nickson getting a goal today was just reward for the boy because I think he has a big future."

Devine concluded, "We will add further to the squad, but we are delighted with the quality of players we have here, and anyone we bring in must be of the quality that they will be pushing to start the first game of the season.”

Bohemians squad to date is as follows:

James Akintunde, Keith Buckley, Cian Byrne, James Clarke, Dylan Connolly, Robert Cornwall, Luke Dennison, Jordan Flores,  Danny Grant, Paddy Kirk, Bartlomiej Kukulowicz, Michael Lilander, James McManus, Declan McDaid, Adam McDonnell, Martin Miller, Nickson Okosun, Sten Reinkort, Dayle Rooney, James Talbot.

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