Ruari Paton Returns to St Johnstone on Permanent Deal

Ruari Paton is back where he always felt he belonged.

St Johnstone have completed the permanent signing of the forward from Port Vale for an undisclosed fee, rewarding a loan spell that quickly turned into something far more meaningful than a short-term stopover. The 25-year-old has committed his future to the Perth club with a deal running at McDiarmid Park until the summer of 2028.

Five goals in 13 Championship appearances last season only tell part of the story. Paton arrived on loan, but played – and carried himself – like a man invested in the club’s fate. His energy, movement and edge in the final third helped fuel a campaign he now describes as “really special”, and that feeling has clearly lingered.

“I actually loved every single thing about the club. The place, the people,” he told the club’s media, speaking less like a new signing and more like someone returning to familiar ground. “I never felt like I was on loan.”

That line matters. Players often talk about “projects” and “journeys”. Paton talks about connection. He namechecks the dressing room, the staff, the supporters. No bad interactions. No sense of distance. Just a footballer who walked into a building and felt at ease.

For St Johnstone, tying him down until 2028 is a statement of intent. A forward in his mid‑twenties, proven in the Championship, already embedded in the culture of the club and trusted by the fanbase, is not a luxury. It is a foundation piece.

Paton, for his part, sounds less like a man weighing up his options and more like one settling in. “I feel I have a great connection with the supporters too and everyone who works in the building. It feels like home,” he said, looking ahead to life in the Premiership.

Last season gave him a platform. The next four years will show just how far that sense of belonging can carry him – and how much St Johnstone can build around a forward who never really wanted to leave in the first place.