Crawley have completed the loan signing of young Wolves striker Liam McAlinden until the end of the season – the first signing following the club’s takeover by Turkish businessman Ziya Eren.
The 22-year-old who has been with the Midlands club throughout his career has been unable to break into the first-team in his six years at the club and has only scored a solitary goal for the Molineux outfit in 14 league appearances.
He has previously enjoyed loan spells at League One sides Shrewsbury Town and Fleetwood Town with his last outing coming for the Shrews on Boxing Day last year.
Manager Mark Yates said of the signing: “Liam is a player I have admired for a long time. He’s big and powerful but mobile and he can score goals.
“It’s been frustrating for him not getting the opportunities he’d like at a big club like Wolves and he was really keen to come where when I spoke to him.
“We’ve got him for the rest of the season which will give Liam the opportunity to get a run of games in the side and I’d like to thank (Wolves manager) Kenny Jackett for allowing Liam to come to us.”
McAlinden joined Wolves as a youth player in 2001 and nine years later signed with the club on professional terms.
He made his first appearance under Dean Saunders, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 home defeat to Burnley.
In the 2013/2014 campaign, with Wolves in the third tier of English football, McAlinden scored his first goal for the Gold and Black in a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy win over Walsall.
He then secured a move to Shropshire-based Shrewsbury Town where he scored three goals in a nine-game loan spell.
In the last couple of years he has had two separate loan spells with Fleetwood Town and another goalless loan spell at Shrewsbury Town.
Crawley are currently 16th in League Two and face Luton away at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.
