AFC Wimbledon have completed a quick treble of signings with the arrival of attacking midfielder Anthony Wordsworth.
The experienced former Colchester United, Ipswich Town, and Southend United midfielder becomes Wimbledon's third signing in three days, as Neal Ardley continues to strengthen his squad ahead of the 2018/19 season.
With strong competition for the services of a 29-year-old who has averaged one goal in every four games during his career, Neal expressed his delight after completing his signature today.
Speaking during an interview for iFollow, Neal said: "We knew that Anthony was potentially available earlier in the summer, but at the time we thought we would struggle to get him. He had quite a few clubs that were probably willing to pay a bit more money than we could, so we carried on looking around. I think one or two of those deals fell through late on and we are delighted to sort of pick up the pieces to get him over the line.
"Anthony is a very skilful, cultured, left footed player who works hard for his team. He likes to get forward into the box and I think his goal ratio is one in four for a central midfielder. It is something we wanted to bring to the party. He is very good on the ball, he is a good lad, and he is a great size at 6 ft 2 inches. He brings loads to the squad too with his know-how."
Camden-raised Anthony made his name at Colchester United and he scored 35 league goals in 177 games for the Essex club. That earned him a move to Ipswich Town in January 2013 with the Championship club paying £100,000 for his services. Anthony, who has also had loan spells with Crawley and Rotherham, joined Southend United in 2015, before leaving Roots Hall at the end of last season.
Look out soon on iFollow for an extensive interview with Anthony shortly after he became Wimbledon's sixth summer signing. Neal Ardley also talks in more depth about Anthony's signature on our premium channel.