By Matt Storey
Canadian international Simeon Jackson has become Walsall's ninth signing of the summer.
Jackson put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal and manager Jon Whitney will be hoping he can help fill the void left by the departing Tom Bradshaw, who signed for Barnsley last weekend having handed in a transfer request.
Striker Jackson finished last season at Blackburn in the Championship but is excited at the prospect of another promotion battle with Walsall.
“The club just missed out [on promotion] last season and hopefully they can learn from it and be up there again this year,” commented Jackson.
“It was all down to the gaffer really, he told me how much he wanted me and the environment they are looking to build here and the philosophy of the club.”
“I want to come here, play as many games as I can, score goals and cause defenders problems.”
Jackson has spent time at numerous different clubs over the last two-and-a-half years since an unsuccessful spell at German side Eintracht Braunschweig, and Walsall fans will hope he can find the sort of form that made Norwich City spend £600,000 on him in 2010.
The Saddlers are going through a rebuilding process after they fell agonisingly short of automatic promotion last season, with many key figures moving to other clubs.
Manager Whitney has only been in charge since March but seven players decided to leave the club, including Romaine Sawyers, Sam Mantom and MIlan Lalkovic.
Simeon Jackson joins the ranks alongside fellow new signings Frank Moussa and Erhun Oztumer.