Having lost out in the race to sign Dover Athletic striker Adam Birchall, who rejected offers from both Swindon and AFC Wimbledon to sign for their League Two rivals Gillingham, Town manager Paolo Di Canio has dipped into the Non-League market once more to sign forward Alan Connell.
Despite having a bid accepted for Birchall, the former Arsenal striker linked up with his former manager and long-standing friend Andy Hessenthaler at Gillingham, citing the locality and geography as his reasoning behind such a decision.
Following the departures of trialist strikers Leon Knight and Christian Cesaretti and Town seemingly missing out on the signings of Hugo Bargas and a 'mystery' Brazilian striker, Birchall's decision frustrated fans eager for Di Canio to add to Swindon's front line - even more for a side that struggled for goals last season.
But in a swift response, the Italian has once more identified and this time secured the signature of a striker with goalscoring pedigree at Non-League level. Grimsby Town striker Connell arrives at the County Ground for a fee believed to be in the region of £115,000 including a sell-on clause, after passing an extensive medical assessment and signing a two-year deal on Saturday.
Before signing for Non-League side Grimsby, Connell made over 200 Football League appearances for the likes of AFC Bournemouth, Brentford and Hereford in spells that were either hampered by injury or saw him deployed to the left win position - reason, perhaps, for a goalscoring record that rarely flattered to decieve.
At Blundell Park, however, Connell shone, featuring in 46 league games and scoring an impressive 25 goals, only missing out on the division's golden boot award to Crawley Town's Matt Tubbs. Add to this his a haul of four cup goals and collection of various prizes at Grimsby's annual awards night, the striker quite rightly became one of the hottest properties in lower league football close season.
Having already rejected bids from unnamed League One, League Two and Conference clubs, Swindon's undisclosed bid was accepted last week and the relevant paperwork and legalities completed today with Connell set to feature in the team's Pre-Season friendly with local side Swindon Supermarine on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, as Di Canio strives to make his mark on the team, a fourth Italian looks likely to become his ninth signing of a busy Summer. Alessandro Cibocchi joined the the Pre-Season training camp in Italy and seemingly impressed in an 11-0 thrashing of a local Norcia XI. However, the left back didn't feature in the second friendly against Marche XI which suggested a deal wouldn't be on the cards.
Defender Cibocchi, like another of Town's Italian recruits Alberto Comazzi, has spent the entirety of his career in the Italian lower leagues, featuring most recently for Serie B side Portosummaga. He has reportedly signed a two-year contract and will now provide Callum Kennedy, previously Swindon's only remaining left back, following the Summer departures of Michael Rose and Alan Sheehan respectively, with apt and suitable competition.
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| Algerian signing Mehdi Kerrouche |
Cibocchi's signing is also likely to coinside with that of another forward, in the form of Algerian Mehdi Kerrouche. Most recently contracted to United Arab Emirates team Al Oruba, the striker's arrival means Swindon are potentially a further forward and a winger away from being ready for the looming League Two season - an improvement, surely, on last year's rushed transfer activity that cost Town so dearly.
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