Gaffer finally gets his man after lengthy pursuit.
Paul Dickov could not hide his delight at acquiring the services of midfielder Richard Chaplow.The Scot hailed the fourth summer signing but said that it took “A little bit of perseverance and patience on both parts for this one.”
Chaplow follows the arrivals of Thorsten Stuckmann, Andy Williams and Gary MacKenzie to Keepmoat Stadium.
“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Richard, like the other three that we’ve signed, there’s a lot of interest in him and he could have possibly gone elsewhere for a more lucrative contract and closer to home but he’s another one who has bought in to what we’re trying to do here,” said Dickov.
“We’ve outlined the plans and what we’re trying to do at the club from top to bottom. He had a look at the playing squad that was here and he was impressed by the players that are here already and the style of football that we’re looking to play next season.
“He’s another player – albeit at Southampton – who knows how to get out of this division, and he’s got plenty of experience at a lot higher level than where we are now. I’ve spoken to a lot of people who know him – managers and players alike – who’ve said that his attitude is first class so all round it’s a great signing.”
Dickov’s relentlessness was emphasised when he admitted he came close to driving Chaplow to Doncaster after a brief holiday in the USA.
“Conversations with Richard started four or five weeks ago, he’d been to America for three weeks and as soon as he was back I nearly picked him up at the airport so he couldn’t go elsewhere!” he admitted.
“There was a lot of interest in him and we’re delighted to have him here because he’ll compliment the midfield we’ve got and the team that we’re going to put out.
“He’s got a good knack of popping with a goal as well. He’s scored important goals; he scored the goal which got Ipswich in to the play-offs last season while he was on loan there.
“With them being in the play-offs, we looked at giving him some extra days rest because he’s not had much of a break but to be fair to him, he’s buzzing to get in here and join in with the lads.
“The majority of our recruitment is centred on people with Richard’s experience. Players who know how to get in to and stay in the top six. They need to push themselves, not just in matches but in training too and he leads by example and will drag other players along with him as well.”
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