Sheffield United earlier this evening announced the signing of Ryan Leonard from Southend United.
The long and lengthy pursuit for the midfielder finally paid off for Chris Wilder as agreement was struck with his former club on a fee (undisclosed) and the 25 year old has now signed a three and a half year deal at Bramall Lane.
Speaking to the Official Site as the news was announced, Wilder explained about his first capture of January.
‘It is no secret that we have chased the signature of Ryan for some time. We wanted him in the summer but that was not possible so we have been patient, continued to monitor his progress and we are delighted that this has been completed early in this window. We want to add quality to our ranks and Ryan fits that criteria. There is quality available, including in League One, and we hope he will prove to be a great acquisition for us.’
Having begun his career at Plymouth Argyle, he made his debut in their Championship tie at Home Park back in March 2010.
A year later he made the switch to Roots Hall and Southend on a free transfer.
He quickly became a fan favourite, making over 250 appearances for the club across all competitions and he chipped in with 27 goal.
