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08-06-2022, 15:36
(This post was last modified: 08-06-2022, 15:38 by themaclad.)
League Two champions Forest Green Rovers have signed full-back Corey O'Keeffe from Rochdale.
The 24-year-old initially joined the Dale on loan from Mansfield at the start of last season, before making the move permanent in January.
He made 43 league appearances last term as Rochdale finished 18th.
O'Keeffe becomes Forest Green's first signing of the summer as the club prepares for its maiden season in League One.
"We played against Rochdale twice with Notts County in the FA Cup and Corey was the stand-out player in both games," said Forest Green head coach Ian Burchnall.
Forest Green Rovers have signed Torquay United midfielder Armani Little on a two-year-contract.
The 25-year-old scored 15 goals in 38 appearances for the Gulls as they finished 11th in the National League.
"This place has a real buzz about it off the back of last season and I can't wait to get involved," he told the club's website.
Forest Green usurped Exeter City to win League Two on a dramatic final day of the season.
A 2-2 draw coupled with Exeter's loss to Port Vale ensured Rovers were promoted to League One as champions.
Little began his career at Oxford United and spent two loan spells at Woking before moving to Torquay in 2019.
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Forest Green have signed midfielder Kyle McAllister after his release by St Mirren and goalkeeper Alfie Burnett from Rotherham United.
McAllister, 23, made his debut for the Scottish Premiership side in 2016 but left for Derby County in January 2017.
The Scot never featured in the Rams first team, however, and returned to Paisley two years later.
He played more than 100 times for St Mirren but spent part of last season on loan at Partick Thistle.
"We're really delighted to add Kyle to our squad for the upcoming season. He's a player with a lot of creative ability and can bring a lot of attacking elements to our game," said Forest Green head coach Ian Burchnall.
"He has some great versatility too, so it will give us the flexibility for how we want to play."
Burnett, 18, joined Rotherham's academy two years ago and was yet to make his first-team debut for the League One club.
"Alfie is a great character and will really fit into our group of goalkeepers. We're sure he'll learn plenty from both Luke and Lewis this season," said Forest Green head of goalkeeping Dan Connor.
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Sheffield United wing-back Harry Boyes has joined newly-promoted League One side Forest Green Rovers on a season-long loan.
The left-sided 20-year-old spent last season on loan at Solihull Moors, helping the club reach the National League promotion final.
Boyes' move comes after he agreed a new three-year deal at Bramall Lane.
"It's my first opportunity to play in the EFL, which will be a great new challenge," Boyes said.
"I was in the National League with Solihull last season and we did very well.
"I know Ian (Burchnall, Forest Green manager) quite well too after playing against his sides a few times and his style of play suits me so I'm looking forward to that," he told the club website.
Forest Green will start the new season with a trip to Bristol Rovers, who were also promoted from League Two in 2021-22.
"He was a stand-out player in the team of the season last year and he has an outstanding year with Solihull," added Rovers boss Burchnall.
"Sheffield United rate him really highly and this is the next step in his development.
"We feel that he's more than capable of making the step up, he can add a lot to the quality of the team, great on the ball and technically a very gifted player"
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Forest Green have re-signed midfielder Reece Brown on a free transfer after his release by Huddersfield Town.
The 26-year-old returns to the New Lawn three years after leaving for the Yorkshire side for an undisclosed fee.
Brown, who scored 14 goals in 94 games in his first spell, made just one EFL Cup appearance for Huddersfield.
He had three spells on loan at Peterborough United, scoring twice in League One during a season-long stint at London Road in 2020-21.
"He was one of the first names mentioned when I joined the club after his previous spell, where he was massively popular with the fans and was a great performer on the pitch," head coach Ian Burchnall told the club website.
"He's won League One before and now has Championship experience too. Reece is a super-talented player who can be really creative in the team for us, so we're all happy to have him with us."
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Oliver Casey playing for Blackpool
Centre-back Casey joined Championship side Blackpool last summer
Forest Green Rovers have signed defender Oliver Casey on loan from Blackpool for the 2022-23 campaign.
The 21-year-old developed through the academy at hometown club Leeds United and made the first of his three first-team appearances in 2019.
The centre-back signed for Blackpool last summer and played six times in the Championship, scoring his first goal against Barnsley in April.
"I am really happy to be here," Casey told the club website.
"The experience I've already had in the Championship will hopefully put me in good stead for the upcoming season."
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Forest Green Rovers have signed former Swansea City left-back Jacob Jones following a trial.
The 20-year-old is their ninth signing since Ian Burchnall was appointed as head coach on 27 May.
Jones did not play for Swansea's first team, but made one EFL Trophy appearance for their under-21s during the 2018-19 season.
"As a player, he's so enthusiastic and can deliver the ball into the area really well," Burchnall said.
"It also means we have some extra cover in that area, with Harry Boyes currently having an injury."
Details of Jones' contract have not been disclosed by the club.
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Forest Green Rovers have signed former Crystal Palace and Sunderland striker Connor Wickham on a short-term deal.
The 29-year-old, who was released by MK Dons at the end of last season, had signed until the end of January.
After joining the Dons in January from Preston North End he scored once but started just two league matches for the League One club.
Wickham left Palace in 2021 after six years with the Premier League side, but injuries meant he played just 41 times.
"I think he really is keen to get back on track and play football and build his fitness up," Forest Green head coach Ian Burchnall told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
"We know what the upside is if we can get him to his top level - that we have a player that's above this level. He's still young and with all that in mind it seemed like a smart move to try and bring somebody in, especially as we know with Matty Stevens down we're a little bit short at the top end of the pitch."
Wickham began his career with Ipswich Town and moved to Sunderland in 2011 for a fee of £8.1m, scoring 15 goals in 91 appearances during which time he also went to Sheffield Wednesday on loan.
He signed for Palace four years later, for an initial fee reported to be £7m, but was limited by injuries during his time at Selhurst Park.
The forward missed all of the 2017-18 season with a cruciate ligament injury and did not feature at all during the 2020-21 season.
"I think we've done our due diligence, he's fit," Burchnall said.
"He's done a preseason at Reading, he's played several games there. He's come through them and it's just about managing him and making sure that we understand him as an individual first.
"If we can do that, hopefully we can build him up and get the minutes out of him that we need."
Burchnall insisted that Wickham has plenty to offer the club, who beat Bristol Rovers on the opening day of their debut season in League One.
However, while Wickham has been in and completed training it might be a few weeks before he features on the pitch.
"Connor's not 35 hoping to tail end his career with a contract. He's 29 and he wants to still kick on and still achieve something in the game and I think that's the hunger that he needs. He's a long way off being finished as a football player, 29-years-old and he's got a long way still to go," Burchnall said.
"For him it's all about getting back on track, playing consistently, performing consistently at the level he knows he's capable of.
"It shouldn't be long before we can introduce him into games and start that process."
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League One newcomers Forest Green Rovers have made their second signing in as many days after agreeing a deal with winger Sean Robertson.
Robertson, 21, left Premier League side Crystal Palace at the end of last season.
He had trials during pre-season at Sheffield United and Derby before sealing his move to Nailsworth.
"This is a great moment for me. I am at a stage now where I need to be playing men's football," Robertson said.
"Forest Green is a great club for me to start this journey - and I am ready to get going."
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Forest Green Rovers have signed Wolverhampton Wanderers under-21s captain Christian Marques and Chelsea academy striker Bryan Fiabema on loan.
Defender Marques, joined Wolves' academy in 2019 and helped the team win promotion to the Premier League 2 Division One last season.
The Switzerland-born Portuguese, 19, spent time on loan last season with Primeira Liga side Belenenses SAD.
"I am very happy to be here," Marques told the club website.
"I had a loan last season that didn't work out so I am really delighted to have another opportunity to show what I am about."
Fiabema, 19, joined Premier League club Chelsea's development squad in 2020 from Tromso IL in Norway.
The Norwegian, who has represented his country at under-19 level, recently spent time on loan with Rosenborg in Norway's Eliteserien.
"I think this is a good move for me. I see myself as an offensive player who likes to get forward - and hopefully score some goals during my time here," Fiabema said.
Both players have signed on loan until the end of the season.
Meanwhile, defender Udoka Godwin-Malife, 22, is set to undergo surgery on a hamstring injury he suffered at the beginning of August and faces what the club has said is a "lengthy spell" out.
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Forest Green Rovers have signed former Aberdeen midfielder Dylan McGeouch on a deal until the end of the season.
The 29-year-old was a free agent after leaving the Dons at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
McGeouch, who has won two caps for Scotland, could make his debut in Tuesday's Papa Johns Trophy tie against Cheltenham Town.
"Hopefully I can help the team win more games and climb the League One table," he told the club website.
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