Kyle Turner revealed a chance meeting with Ross County manager Malky Mackay in Dubai led to him joining the Staggies.
Midfielder Turner is among seven summer arrivals at Dingwall, joining on a two-year deal from Championship side Partick Thistle.
Turner was part of the Jags side which suffered defeat to County in the dramatic Premiership play-off, despite the Glasgow side holding a three-goal lead with just 19 minutes of the tie remaining.
Having been out of contract in the summer, Turner revealed he went on his summer break not knowing what the future would hold for him until Mackay talked him into a move to the Highlands.
Turner, who made his Staggies debut in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Stranraer in Group D of the Viaplay Cup said: “Ross County came in for me and I spoke to the manager after I’d actually met him on holiday.
“I went to Dubai with my mate and the manager was on the same flight as me. We then got to our hotel and checked in and he came in behind us as he was staying in the same place.
“There had been no conversations at all about a move at that point.
“About three or four days into the holiday we had a chat and he asked if I would be interested in coming up to sign.
“It snowballed from there – I didn’t expect that when I went on holiday.
“I had gone on holiday not really knowing what the future was going to hold for me.
“That’s football, though.”
Turner came full circle with the Jags, having come through the Firhill youth ranks.
Although he did not make the breakthrough, successful spells with Stranraer and Dunfermline led to him rejoining the Glasgow outfit in 2021.
Turner, who made 90 appearances and netted nine goals from midfield for Thistle, says leaving the club was a difficult decision, however the 25-year-old was eager to test himself in the top flight.
He added: “What happened at the end with Thistle is not something I really want to talk about.
“It still stings a bit. But that’s football and things like that can happen. I just had to do what was best for me and this is a great opportunity at a great club.
“I had a good season at Thistle and it was a tough one leaving there. I had two good years there and the manager, Kris Doolan, was great with me when he came in there.
“There were a great bunch of boys. But the attraction of going to play in the top league was too good to turn down. I wanted to test myself against the best teams in the country.
“I wanted to go and challenge myself at the best level I could.
“That attraction of playing in the Premiership was something I wanted to do. Playing against County at the end of last season was obviously bittersweet. That was a tough one at time but I’m just happy to be here now.”
Turner says he leant on the advice of two former Staggies favourites, who he played with at Partick, before making the switch north.
Turner added: “I had actually spoken to big Brian Graham who’d played there before, as well as Richard Foster, and they couldn’t say any better about the club.
“They loved the set-up at County and how well looked after you are. The manager came across the same and then meeting the owner, Roy MacGregor, before I signed and also Steven Ferguson, the chief executive.
“It just felt like an attractive club for me to go to.”
