It’s been a busy day in the north west, or at least it has for Fleetwood Town who announced three signings in a three hour blitz this afternoon.
The three signings are further testament to the Board’s ambition to back new manager Joey Barton to the hilt – especially considering the quality that has been brought in to the club. Earlier this afternoon the Cod Army announced the triple capture of James Wallace, Ched Evans and Chris Long
✍️ | Midfielder James Wallace becomes #ftfc's sixth signing of the summer after signing a short-term deal with the club.
Read more: https://t.co/li9evJDEYI#OnwardTogether pic.twitter.com/k4svpdDI0n
— Fleetwood Town FC (@ftfc) July 20, 2018
🗣️ | #ftfc’s latest signing Chris Long believes there is some unfinished business at Highbury, after penning a two-year deal with the club.
More here: https://t.co/LQHYL8LCyz#OnwardTogether pic.twitter.com/dapvxmfl4q
— Fleetwood Town FC (@ftfc) July 20, 2018
📰 | Full details as Ched Evans joins #ftfc on loan from @SkyBetChamp side @SUFC_tweets on loan until the end of the season.
Read here: https://t.co/4WR4wEJ2eb#OnwardTogether pic.twitter.com/gAcocjcURI
— Fleetwood Town FC (@ftfc) July 20, 2018
This trio of signings brings it to eight signings this summer for the Cod Army as they look to strengthen ahead of what will no doubt be a tough League One campaign.
James Wallace
Wallace came up through the Everton Youth system, featuring 26 times for the Under-23s and just once for the first team. A series of loans to the likes of Stockport and Stevenage were the order of the day before a permanent move to Tranmere, then later to Sheffield United.
Two years after joining the Blades (July 2014), Wallace was on the loan train again, this time to Shrewsbury (Jan. 2016-May 2016) for whom he made 11 appearances.
Manager Joey Barton said of Wallace’s arrival: “He has everything to prove and we want to give him an opportunity at Fleetwood to show us what he can do. He’s been a great addition, and has great leadership qualities and great quality in possession on the pitch. We want to get him fit and get him on the pitch, because if we do, we feel he can be a huge asset to us.”
Chris Long
Long, like James Wallace, is another product of the Everton youth system, although he’s a little more experiences in the Toffee’s Under-23 set-up. He played 44 times in the Everton Under-23s, scoring 12 times and providing two assists – also featuring once for the first team.
Again, like Wallace,a series of loan deals out of Everton signified his first steps in football, Long going out on loan to the likes of MK Dons, Brentford and even Fleetwood Town themselves. The Fleetwood loan came after Long had sealed a £1.25 million transfer from Everton to Burnley, the club that released him at the start of this month.
Long said of his arrival back at the Highbury Stadium: “It’s good to be back. I have some unfinished business here. I want to have a similar start to what I had last time I was here, and maybe even go one better. I want to kick-on and be ready when called upon by the manager. I believe I am coming back here more of a complete player and I whilst away I have experienced the highs and the lows in football. With me being 23-years old, it is all valuable experience.”
Ched Evans
29-year-old striker Evans has dropped down a league from the Sky Bet Championship to League One on a season-long loan deal. He originally came up through the much vaunted youth system at Manchester City, enjoying a 2007 loan to Norwich after breaking into the first team squad with the then Maine Road outfit.
He then moved to Sheffield United (July 2009) in a £3.15 million deal, staying with the Blades for three years before certain things intervened in his life. The result of this was a career break of two-and-a-half years before signing for Chesterfield in 2016. A year later and Sheffield United took a chance on the Welshman, signing him for around £500,000. Last season he only featured in nine games in the Championship for United, not bothering to trouble the scorers.
Manager Joey Barton said of the capture of Evans: “When the opportunity came to get Ched on loan – a goalscorer who is proven at League One and the Championship – we knew we had to take it. He is a player with great calibre and adds to our already strong attacking line-up of Paddy Madden, Ash Hunter, Conor McAleny, Bobby Grant, Wes Burns and Ashley Nadesan. We have some really good options in that department of the pitch.”
