Forest Green Rovers have signed Paul Digby from Mansfield Town for an undisclosed fee as confirmed by the club website.
The 23-year-old midfielder came through the Barnsley academy and attracted a lot of attention when he made his debut for them as a 16-year-old, making him one of the youngest players in their history to make a competitive appearance. He never broke into the first team at Barnsley despite that promise and would sign for Ipswich Town in 2016 following a loan spell. But after failing to break through there, he signed for Mansfield in 2017.
But following a year where he only made four appearances for the Stags, Digby has now signed for Forest Green on a two-year deal. They managed to stay in Sky Bet League Two but are now looking to push up the table and avoid another battle against relegation. And with Digby being a talented midfielder, he could help boost the side to no end.
Following the move, Digby said: “The manager played a big role in my move here.”
“I have played against his teams a fair few times now, his Swindon team, his Forest Green team and they play football the way I want to play football and that was a massive attraction for me.”
“The other factor was the players they have brought in already this summer. They look like they are going to have a real go this season, so it is exciting for me to be here.”
His new head coach Mark Cooper said: “We’ve been chasing Paul for the majority of the summer after being informed that he was available but it took a while to get done.”
“We’re pleased to get it over the line. He is 6’ 4”, can fill a number of positions for us and has got that presence as well.”
“What we’ve done is taken players who are young in years but have got a lot of experience in terms of games they have played and clubs they have been at.”
“He is a big lad but he is also a good footballer. He can play in midfield as an enforcer, he can play at centre-half, he can play right-back, it is a really good signing for us.”