Head Coach Nelson Jardim is confident that new signing David Ajiboye will provide a significant boost to the club’s attacking options following his loan move from Peterborough United.
The 26-year-old winger, who has made 73 appearances for the League One side, has joined the Exiles on loan until the end of the season.
Ajiboye could make his debut against Port Vale tomorrow, pending the approval of his international clearance.
While Jardim is pleased with the way his squad is developing, he believes Ajiboye’s experience and attacking quality will further strengthen the team.
“David is someone we’ve been following for some time and someone who will certainly make us stronger,” Jardim said.
“He will bring a lot of energy, skill, and enthusiasm to the group. As a team, we’ve improved a lot since the start of the season with our style of play, and we think David will be a great fit for us, especially in the attacking areas.
“Since the start of the season, we’ve wanted to develop a clear style of play, which I think we’ve been improving on, and we can start to see that becoming more visible.
“And he will bring what we’ve been lacking in the final third: being more of a threat going forward and adding goals.
"For us as a team, we’ve been scoring goals—six against MK Dons—but we need to be more ruthless with the chances that we create.”
The Exiles will be hoping to secure their first win of 2025 when they travel to Vale Park tomorrow afternoon, following three consecutive defeats to Bromley, Walsall and AFC Wimbledon.
And Jardim, whose side suffered a 4-1 loss to Port Vale in the opening fixture back in September, is expecting another tough encounter.
“Port Vale are another team who haven’t played over the last two weeks or so, but we’re expecting a tough game,” he added .
“We don’t expect them to change much from what they’ve been doing because they’ve been doing well, aside from some recent results.
“We expect it to be a very competitive and good game, where it’s an excellent opportunity for our young boys to show their quality and value, and try and transform their performances into results.”
Ahead of their trip to Stoke-on-Trent, the Exiles have also received an injury boost, with captain Shane McLoughlin fit for tomorrow's League Two clash.
McLoughlin, who had limped off in the closing stages of the January 2 loss to AFC Wimbledon due to a knee injury, has recovered in time for the match.
He finished: “Shane was a big worry but things went in a positive manner. He has trained with us for the last two days and will be fit for the game, so that is excellent news.
“It was a worry and he did have a bit of a problem but the medical department and Shane did a good job in the first week of the injury, so he is good to go.”
