AFC Wimbledon have signed Aaron Pressley on a season-long loan deal from Brentford. They beat off competition from other League One rivals for his signature, the club announced this afternoon.
The 19-year-old is Mark Robinson's sixth summer addition and he was delighted to get the deal over the line.
He said: "Aaron was our number one priority in terms of forward options, I’m sure everyone will think I’m bound to say that, but it’s a fact.
"Out of all the centre forwards we looked at he’s the most similar to Joe Pigott in terms of what he brings to the team. Aaron links up play really well, he can score goals, is good off the ball, and he’s very dynamic. He ticked all of the boxes."
Pressley is preparing for his first full season of men's football, the AFC Wimbledon story and Mark Robinson's attention to detail persuaded him to choose the Dons.
"I spoke to a number of other clubs in League One and League Two, but I was excited by what the manager here had to say.
"In the presentation he made, it showed that he wanted me a lot. I have watched videos about the club on YouTube, and it’s some rise with six promotions in 14 years. Hopefully, we can do it again this season." Pressley explained.
Wimbledon fans will be hoping Pressley can score the goals to fire them up the League One table and away from any relegation anxieties, having not finished more than three places above the drop zone in any of the last four seasons.
The Verdict
The Brentford B project has gone from strength to strength in recent years which Wimbledon know very well. Bees striker Marcus Forss scored 11 goals in the first half of the 2019/20 season for them before going on to push for a first-team place at the newly-promoted Premier League side.
Pressley scored 19 goals for Brentford B last term, resulting in him carving out three first-team appearances amongst esteemed competition. The Joe Pigott void leaves big shoes to fill but with other sensible attacking additions around him, Robinson will be confident the Scotsman can hit the ground running.