Richie Wellens says he’s pleased to bring Ben Close in as his first signing as Rovers boss.
The 24-year-old joined Rovers on a three-year-deal on Monday, and Wellens was delighted to get the deal done.
He said: “I think he ticks a lot of boxes. He’s 24 years-old and has good experience at this level from playing at a big club with high expectations.
“He’s won the EFL Trophy and played in the play-offs, he’s at a stage of his career where he wanted to try something new.
“He’s got almost 200 games under his belt and is technically very good so to have him in is brilliant for us.”
Wellens says the fact that Close was willing to move away from Portsmouth for the first time in his career shows his commitment to signing for the club.
He added: “He wants to be at this club and is prepared to move himself and his partner up which shows how much he wants to be here.
“He scores goals from midfield but I think he’s got more to give, we’ll give him that freedom to play and improve himself.”