'You will get this club up': The story behind Shrewsbury Town's biggest ever signing - Grant Holt

That is the story and one of the selling points behind the biggest signing Shrewsbury Town have made in the modern era - when they managed to capture Nottingham Forest's Grant Holt in 2008.

And with the transfer window in full swing and Shrewsbury having dome some impressive business already this summer - we've had a look back at how that 2008 big summer signing came to fruition.

Holt, at the time 27, hadn't had the usual route into the game - after being release by Carlisle United as a youngster.

He rose through non-league - before spells with Sheffield Wednesday and Rochdale led to a move to Forest.

But in 2008, having been out of the side the previous season an old face came knocking and that was the start of the move that led to Salop's marquee summer signing

"Paul Simpson was the manager and he rung me up and asked if I wanted to go down," Holt told the Undr the Cosh podcast, hosted by former EFL strikers Jon Parkin and Chris Brown.

"I knew Paul from Carlisle, I got on really well with him and I half wanted to go. And I had Paul Murray on the phone to me every day asking when I was signing, I think he just wanted a travelling partner from Preston.

"I wasn't sure if I wanted to drop back down to League Two or stay in the Championship.

"But I went down, I walked in the building and met the chairman (Roland Wycherley), what a guy.

"In his office it had a red velvet carpet, a big old school wooden desk, and he said: 'I watched you bully one of our players'.

"He was saying this and that, what he expected, he said, 'you're going to get this club up', and he said he was going to pay a record for me.

"He showed me around and talked about his dream, and said when he saw my name on the list, he said: 'I saw you bully our centre halves at the Old Meadow, and I'm signing you'."

It was at this point Holt raised the subject of wages - which brings around an incredible part of the tale about how much Shrewsbury, and Wycherley wanted Holt to come to the club that summer.

"He showed me around and said, 'right, are you going to sign or not'.

"We hadn't really discussed wages, and he said, 'I know what you're on at Forest, I am going to match it. I'll stock a bonus in there if we get promoted, you'll score 20 goals so I'll give you that'.

"I then said Forest owed me a signing on fee, he asked how much, and he said: 'If you sign today I can take care of that. I'm not letting you leave without signing, I want it done and announced today'.

"He then said, 'One thing, I am putting a £400k clause in there if anyone wanted to buy you. If they match it that day, I'll drive you to wherever it is, I won't stand in your way. As soon as the figure is met, you can leave. Anything under, don't moan at me because I am not selling'.

"So I signed, and luckily for him I did because when I left I had five missed calls from clubs I quite fancied!'

It was money well spent from Salop - as Holt scored 28 times in 51 appearances in all competitions that season. Those goals helped the club come within inches of promotion - as they were beaten 1-0 by Gillingham - with Simeon Jackson netting a last minute winner.

Holt won League Two Player of the Year and was in Team of the Season - prompting Norwich City to cough up and meet the release clause - meaning Holt's stay in Shropshire last all of 12 months.

But it was one Salop fans will never forget - with Holt going on to earn cult hero status at Carrow Road.

However, did Wycherley stay true to his word on driving him to his next club?

The retired striker added: "I wish he had driven me here, it would have been an easier journey, I had to drive myself!"