YORK CITY’S swift transfer work is about putting down a “marker” for the club’s ambitions next season, said chairman Jason McGill.
Bootham Crescent has been a hive of activity since the end of the League Two season last month with McGill, and manager Nigel Worthington, striking deals to bring goalkeeper Jason Mooney and left-back Femi Ilesanmi to the club.
Forward Michael Coulson signed a new two-year deal and the Minstermen also announced they had agreed personal terms over a three-year deal with 23-year-old Barnet striker Jake Hyde.
A Football League tribunal will determine a compensation package between City and Conference Premier side Barnet as the player is under the age of 24 and McGill said the aim was to ensure York pushed on following a campaign which saw them compete in the League Two play-offs.
“We’ve brought in a goalkeeper, realising that to have that presence behind the back four adds value to the team,” said McGill of City’s transfer dealings.
“We have brought in Femi at left-back and a lot of our players are pleased they won’t be playing against him next season.
“We are talking to another player at the moment and we have signalled our intent to bring Jake Hyde into the club. We want to kick on from what we achieved last season and it is important to plant down the marker for our ambitions for the coming season.”
On Hyde, McGill added: “He has been on the radar for the last 18 months. We tried to do a deal with Barnet at the start of last season, after their relegation to the Conference, but they exercised a clause in his contract to keep him there for another year.
“He has been offered a new deal but felt he needed to move on to further his football career. He showed an interest in us early on, we kept tabs on him, and he felt he was wanted at York.
“It has been brilliant to strike a deal he is happy with.”
McGill said, subject to to the deal going through, he was looking forward to seeing Hyde link up with York top scorer Wes Fletcher next season.
“I was interested that he scored goals in the Football League in a team that were relegated,” he said.
“When he played against York City, I remember that he finished clinically (as Barnet won 2-1 in February 2013). He is robust and he will work hard and train hard.
“Wes is back in pre-season and it will be an interesting two up front with Ryan Bowman knocking on the door and Michael Coulson - whether he operates as a striker or out wide.
“It all adds another dimension and brings significant competition.”
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