Mansfield Town manager David Flitcroft has made his first signing as Stags’ boss, with the acquisition of highly-rated defender Matt Preston from Swindon Town.
The Mansfield chief has won the race to sign the commanding centre-half, who turned down offers from a number of clubs to sign for the Stags.
The 23-year-old previously amassed over 40 League One appearances for Walsall, before making the switch to the County Ground last September.
After putting pen to paper the dominant defender told www.mansfieldtown.net: “It’s a new challenge for me and I feel like I will thrive under the gaffer and Futch [assistant manager Ben Futcher].
“They are the right mentors for me to improve personally and I enjoyed my time working with them previously at Swindon.
“I feel I have made the best decision for me to keep developing as a player.
“Matt is a very strong central defender who is mobile and can also distribute from the back."
“I’ve researched the club and the fans get behind the players here. It’s a massive thing to know that, as a player, you’re coming to a club where the fans are supporting you in the stands.”
Boss David Flitcroft said: “We are delighted to have signed Matt Preston. He’s at a good age, hungry to develop and is ambitious to progress through the leagues with Mansfield Town.
“We are getting a very good defender, who at 23 we believe can only get better and become a fantastic asset for the football club.
“Matt is a very strong central defender who is mobile and can also distribute from the back. He is dominant in both boxes when defending and attacking.
“We feel this a massive coup for the football club and believe Matt can develop into a defender who we believe has the potential to play in the Championship.
“I have worked with Matt before at Swindon, where I loved working with him and he was outstanding in both games against Mansfield last season.
“There were a number of clubs who wanted to sign Matt, but he has a fantastic working relationship with myself and Futch.
“The chairman [John Radford] and Carolyn [Radford, CEO] have really helped to get the deal done and secure Matt, who we believe will be a real acquisition for our club.”
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