Luton Town have announced the signing of John McAtee from Grimsby Town for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old was a core part of the Grimsby side that gained promotion to League Tow xia the play-offs last season and as part of the deal, he returns to Blundell Park on a season long loan deal.
McAtee made one appearance in League One with Shrewsbury Town and also has a season of League Two football under his belt from his time with Scunthorpe so Nathan Jones hopes he will continue his development in the league with the Mariners this season.
The forward contributed 16 goals last season including one in the play-off final and has plenty of potential.
Speaking about his move to Kenilworth Road, the player told the club's Official Media: "I see this as a big opportunity for myself coming to the Championship and I'm delighted to get it done."
However, McAtee is also keen to get back to Grimsby for the season citing game time as a reason for the move as he said: "That's the aim, definitely [continuing his progress]. I want to get more game time under my belt so when I'm back here next year, I'm ready to go.
"The manager explained to me the values of the club, and it's clear to see anyway that the club is going in the right direction. We spoke about a plan for me, which sounded good.
"The main reason for me was just to get game time. I know the gaffer at Grimsby because I was with him at Shrewsbury and Scunthorpe, so it was a no-brained because I knew I would go there and play and do well, which I did.
"I'm sure everyone in football has seen Luton Town's rise for themselves. They've made that climb quite remarkably when you look at how they've done it.
"I've definitely taken notice of it and see the progression, and hopefully this year, for me personally, and for Grimsby, I can try and help them get another promotion too."
The Verdict:
This could be a brilliant bit of business for Luton Town if they allow the player to develop properly and given he's going straight back to Grimsby on loan, it seems as though they are doing exactly that.
McAtee had a brilliant season with Grimsby last year and it's clear he has the potential to compete at a higher level. However, given he is just 23-years-old, it's unnecessary to rush any of his progress.
Nathan Jones has clearly got this business done with a long term plan in place to support the forward's development and it seems as though the player has bought into this plan himself.
As McAtee says, the core thing right now is game time and there is no doubt he will be an integral part of the Grimsby side next season which he is hoping will prepare him to come and fight for a place at Luton Town next summer.