Gaffer talks about the signing of Freddie Ladapo on a 6 month loan
Shrewsbury Town Manager Paul Hurst has spoken of his delight after Town finalised their third signing of the transfer window on FridayStriker Freddie Ladapo has joined on a 6 month loan deal from Crystal Palace after spending the first part of the season on loan with Oldham Athletic.
Ladapo is a player that Paul has tried to sign in the past and he is looking forward to finally working with him.
“Hopefully he will bring some energy, pace, presence and a willingness to work”, Paul told ShrewsWeb.
“I tried signing him from Margate before he went to Crystal Palace and I think we were close in fairness.
“He’s been at Oldham and while they haven’t had the return in goals that Freddie himself would like, I’ve still seen him in games and he occupies defenders.
“He’s got a lot to prove still, so that fits into a player that is hungry to do well, but he’s got a bit of everything.
“I know it’s a lower level, but when he was at Margate he was occupying both centre-halfs on his own and was a real threat, so hopefully he can do the same for us.”
Town have struggled for goals at times this season and with joint top scorer Ivan Toney leaving, Paul is hopeful that Ladapo will help the team in their quest for goals.
“I think there’s goals in him but while you need to score goals to win games of football, it’s about the team and I think Freddie will fit into that perfectly”, said Paul.
“He will occupy defender and leave spaces for other people, but at the same time we hope that he can get some goals for us, which I believe he can and as long as he goes about it in the right way and keeps working hard I believe things will come good for him.
“I think we’ve been lacking in pace at the top end of the pitch, particularly when AJ’s been out, so hopefully Freddie will bring that to us as well as other parts of his game.”
Freddie’s journey from non-league to Premier League happened very quickly and Paul believes this spell will be good for his development.
“He went to Palace and did extremely well when he went on trial and this pre-season he went away with the first team to America and was doing well”, Hurst said.
“There’s an element of rawness to him, but at the same time the more games he plays, the better he will be. You’ve got to remember that where he has come from it’s not going to happen overnight, so Palace are keen for him to go out and get more games to help with his development.”