Town trio have got plenty to prove upon their arrival at Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury Town’s summer transfer window is now in full flow after a triple signing got them out of the blocks.
Rekeil Pyke, Scott High and Josh Daniels all joined the Montgomery Waters Meadow outfit on Monday as the club treated their fans to some fresh faces.
Despite the financial impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on clubs, many across League One and League Two are still stumping up the cash for new signings ahead of what will be an unknown quantity of a season.
Sam Ricketts has taken his time compared to some of his league rivals, but the triple swoop has been welcomed by fans.
On the face of it, however, all three are in some ways an unknown quantity themselves.
Pyke is the most experienced of the three at this level, despite coming in at a young age.
The 22-year-old was in desperate need of a permanent home after coming through the Huddersfield Town youth ranks – and he’s now found that at Salop.
Several loan spells have helped the forward progress over the years, with the statistics backing that up.
A three-game spell with Wrexham in 2016 was followed up by a move to Colchester for the back end of the 2016/17 season – where he made 12 appearances.
Pyke returned to League Two with Port Vale from August to November of the 2017/18 season, turning out for them on nine occasions.
In a total of 24 appearances for three clubs across two seasons, he failed to score.
Perhaps that is why he found himself back in the National League in 2018/19 with Ricketts at Wrexham – where a successful half-season saw him net five and assist five.
He spent the second half of that season with League One Rochdale, where he returned last season, scoring three times.
It has been a building process for Pyke over the years, and he now finds himself at his first permanent home after Huddersfield.
This move should be the catalyst for his career, with the loan experience serving him well.
His fellow new signings are even less well-known, but could be dark horses next season.
High also comes from Huddersfield, on loan, in his biggest move yet. The 19-year-old has had two loan spells at non-league Concord Rangers and now finds himself thrown into League One action where it is sink or swim for the youngster.
In a recent interview he insisted it is on him to force his way into Town’s midfield – which is certainly true.
If he does dislodge some fan favourites in the middle of the park, his time with Shrewsbury may be a flash in the pan, but a successful one at that.
Having worked previously with Dean Whitehead at Huddersfield, it should be easy for him to settle in, but the onus is on him to live up to the hype at his parent club.
Finally, Daniels arrives with slightly more expectation, although fans will likely have never seen him play.
The Northern Irishman first played for Derry City before moving to Glenavon, where he proved to be a success.
A total of 15 goals in just 13 games put the 24-year-old firmly in the view of English clubs, with several rumoured to be interested.
Shrewsbury won the race for the forward, who can play anywhere across the front line.
Although he arrives from a lower level, Daniels is perhaps the most exciting signing of the three as fans wait to see if he can live up to League One standard.
He certainly has an eye for goal and the Northern Ireland market has proved fruitful in the past.
What is most interesting about him, is his attitude.
In an interview when joining, he insisted he is here to make a better life for his family – a wife-to-be and a daughter.
Daniels is not interested in coming here to ‘party’ but instead to prove he can do it on a bigger stage on a full-time basis.
That drive to provide should stand him in good stead and fans can be excited for what he might bring.
