Glyn Hodges has bolstered his squad in time for the League One opener at Northampton today by snapping up Daniel Csoka from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 20-year-old utility player made a big impression during a trial spell with us earlier this summer and Glyn believes that his versatility will be a real plus for Wimbledon.
Hungarian Daniel has signed on a permanent basis after leaving Wolves and he joins in time to be a part of our squad for the match at Northampton today.
Speaking about the signing, Glyn Hodges said: “Daniel can play as a left-sided centre half, but he can also play as a left wing-back, and he has played in midfield. I keep making the point about having players who can play in different positions and there are a few positions that we can play Daniel in. League One will definitely be different for him to the Premier League 2, but we will work with him. He’s a good personality, talkative, he’s not shy, and he has a bit about him, so it’s nice when a player comes in and feels at home.
“We have a good relationship with Wolves through Scott Sellars and we were given the chance to bring him in for a week. When they come in on trial you can have a really good look at them and we decided to sign him. He’s a good size, and he’s a good footballer who has played for Wolves Under-23s for a while. He came in on trial, played against QPR and we were impressed, so he’s a good acquisition.”
In his first interview after signing for Wimbledon, Daniel said he has been made to feel very welcome here and he’s proud to play for us.
“My father told me that Wimbledon used to be in the Premier League,” said Daniel. “I know that I’m coming to a League One team now and there are many challenges here, so I’m just ready to play for Wimbledon. I came here for three days and everyone was friendly and helped me a lot. I trained here and played against QPR. When I was offered the chance to sign, there was no question about me coming here. It was my aim to play first-team football from the summer, so I’m happy to sign for Wimbledon. When I played for my first team they played in blue, so it reminds me of my time in Hungary!”
Daniel certainly has footballing pedigree with his father Zsolt having played in a Zalaegerszegi TE FC team that defeated Manchester United in the Champions League qualifying round in 2002.
“My father played 300 games for them and they were my club for 11 years too, so I love the team still. I went to watch my father play, so that’s why I’ve loved football from an early age. They beat a Man United team including Beckham and Giggs in the first leg, but they lost the second leg 5-0.
“My aim was to play men’s football from this summer. I left Hungary three years ago and it was a big move for me with a new culture and a different language. Now I am used to it, and I’m happy to be here.”
After leaving ZTE FC to sign for Wolves in 2017, Daniel spent the first half of the 2018/19 campaign impressing for Wolves’ title-winning under-23 side, before earning a loan move to DAC Dunajska Streda in Slovakia for the remainder of the season. He has been a regular in Wolves’ Premier League 2 fixtures after scoring his first goal for the club against PSG at Molineux in a Premier League International Cup fixture.
You can watch our first interview with Daniel by clicking on the link below.