Blues boss Paul Cook believes new signing Lee Evans has everything a midfield player needs.

Evans, 26, has joined Town on a three-year deal, moving from Wigan Athletic on a three-year deal. The four-times-capped Wales international officially joins the club on July 1st.

“Lee has got everything a midfielder needs,” Cook told the club site. “His energy levels are great, he covers the distances that midfielders need to in the game now.

“He’s good on the ball and he has the physicality. He’s got a terrific attitude to the game and what’s most important, he’s a great lad.""

“I’m thrilled we have got him here, to sign a player of his class and calibre is fantastic for the supporters and for this football club.

“I think the supporters should be excited about the players we have signed and about the players we are hopefully about to sign.”

Cook took Evans to the DW Stadium on loan from Wolves for the 2017/18 campaign in which the Latics carried off the League One title.

That led to a £750,000 move to then-Championship Sheffield United. After a year with the Blades, Evans returned to Wigan on another loan in the summer of 2018 before the switch was made permanent the following January.

Photo: ITFC

midastouch added 20:42 - Jun 4 We want a midfield general that will fight battles out on the pitch rather than in the physio room! Good luck to Evans. Hopefully he can add some energy and passion to the midfield which often looked rather flat last season. Cook clearly speaks highly of him so looking forward to seeing what he's got.
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ShropshireBluenago09 added 21:02 - Jun 4 Cooks influence is really coming to the fore now. Just need a couple more through the door.
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markchips added 21:08 - Jun 4 Dozy dozzell will be gone Cook has been talking him up so that he is sold . Not sure about downes and not sure where he fits on if Sykes comes in
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Linkboy13 added 21:28 - Jun 4 ShropshireBluenago09 Think you will find it will be more than a couple through the door. More like five or six. Let's hope we dont have to rely on loan signings unless god willing we dont pick up injuries.
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algarvefan added 21:42 - Jun 4 Just the right kind of player that we currently lack, looks a great signing, beginning to get very excited about the coming season.
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Fat_Boy_Tim added 22:46 - Jun 4 Can we stop the ridiculous attack on Dozzell and Downes, they are young players with 5 years to learn their trade before they get to the age of these two signings. In my humble opinion, Downes has never let us down and Dozzell has been played too deep to be effective. Dozza didn't fit into the systems we played given who was around him but is still the player with the best eye for a pass in this club. I really want to see them as part of the team going forward.

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mojo added 23:02 - Jun 4 Fat Boy Tim - you make some fair points but I just don't see where Dozzell fits into Paul Cook's preferred system as you allude to yourself. I dont want him to leave particularly but I think it might be best if he does
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RobsonWark added 23:25 - Jun 4 Dozy gets one decent pass in three games and you think he's GOD!!! Grow up and support our club. We don't need these players who are not good enough and are not bothered whether we win or not - just want to pick up their pay check.
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PortmanTerrorist added 23:48 - Jun 4 2 proper signings by anyone's standards in 2 days, and folks moaning about Dozza...really ?! There is a recalibration required here by some fans, and maybe some of the players too. Dozza is admired by more successful (for now) Clubs than us, so who is to say that having an Evans alongside to set the tempo would not raise Dozza's game ? Let's all take a breath and embrace the process as this is just the beginning. COYB!

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Monkey_Blue added 00:21 - Jun 5 He's a league one player so his class is suited to where we are.
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Monkey_Blue added 01:03 - Jun 5 He has everything except other clubs at a higher level wanting to sign him. We've been told we were signing championship level players but have signed two guys from league one clubs who finished below us. Yay💙 let's all get excited by the genius who's managed 7 club's in 14 years, never above this level.
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Jugsy added 01:05 - Jun 5 Really sad to see that ‘fans' are using the signing of a player as a platform to slate some of our homegrown crop. Of course, people's opinions will differ on players but plenty of clubs are sniffing around Dozzell so clearly there's some talent there that some of you want to deny. I wouldn't say Downes had a particularly good season, why isn't he getting slated? RobsonWark, ‘grow up and support our club'? Your comments aren't of someone supporting their club, they're spiteful. If Andre's living with his Dad, so what?!

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coolhand added 08:29 - Jun 5 Evans hasn't been signed, he was released from Wigan and given a chance by PC. because he is a nice guy. Let's hope he can play football as well
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blues1 added 10:45 - Jun 5 Monkeyblue. Try looking at the facts before making rubbish comments. There were several championship clubs after him but he chose to come here.
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Paddy39 added 10:53 - Jun 5 Dozz & Downes will be here next season, I also believed that Dozz has been very lazy over the last two seasons and that is down to their fitness levels. Under PC., he will get his chance and we will notice no doubt that he will need to be at those fitness levels PC expects for them to get game time. If Dozz or any other cannot achieve those levels needed and are looking lazy I'm sure PC will be showing them the door whether or not they are our home grown talent.

4

KernewekBlue added 14:03 - Jun 5 I understand that the negativity which has taken root and festered within our club over the past 14+ years will be difficult to weed out but we are now, hopefully, witnessing the green shoots of a new spring starting to show through. As a group of supporters, we have a pivotal role to play in that. We have the chance to bolster and cheer on a new crop of players, who will represent this club for the next few years. They will feed off our support and be nourished by our positivity, so now is the time to sweep away the harmful rhetoric and fully get behind our reborn club. Our passion and enthusiasm can only help to push this club forward... constantly moaning and getting on player's backs will only hinder our progress and deflate any growing confidence. Now is the time to pull together and give our great club every ounce of support we can muster. Onwards and upwards. COYB

2

RobsonWark added 19:49 - Jun 5 Paddy - Dozy Dozzell has been playing football and training all his life. If he is not fit now he will never be fit. I am 52 and I could move quicker on the pitch than him!
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Paddy39 added 22:12 - Jun 5 RobsonWark point taken I'm 65 and at present I can move quicker lol.
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dirtydingusmagee added 09:52 - Jun 6 Monkeyblue, if clubs from higher leagues want the players chances are we wont get them, WE NEED TO SIGN PLAYERS and YOU NEED TO BE REALISTIC. you really dont have anything positive to say about anything, sad.
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Linkboy13 added 10:17 - Jun 6 No goals and one assist that's Dozzells record for last season. Anybody else at the club would be getting abuse. In my opinion he's never really progressed from youth team football and looks like a little boy lost. Been hearing for years now about all these clubs interested in him but he's still with us and will be at the start of the season. We've made two good signings but the question is are they good enough to play with Dozzell to bring the best out of him ha. Cook knows he can't afford to play with ten men every week so he's going to have to improve dramatically to get a place in the team.

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kingy4978 added 13:09 - Jun 6 It pains me to say it but downes won't be here for this season, the player doesn't like or get on with Paul cook. Cook made him a scapegoat a few times in the dressing roo which downes didn't think was justified.
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Razor added 10:32 - Jun 7 Wasnt Dozzer playing all 90mts towards the end of the season?
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Ebantiass added 15:57 - Jun 7 My best mate (hugh Wigan fan ) called me (us) f"#king vultures for getting one of their gems. Only problem was that he was often on the treatment table. I hope he delivers the goods but its going to take much more than him to turn our fortunes around. I think hates the tag sleepy ipswich as much we the majority of us. He is really shaking things up. A quailty goalkeeper and a good wingman another rock solid central defender and then another hungry goalscorer. Its a shame that we nowadays look at non league or league two strikers. Best of luck Lee.

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Ebantiass added 15:59 - Jun 7 Cook hates
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blues1 added 11:19 - Jun 8 Monkeyblue. U say hes a lge1 player, yet hes played more games in the championship than he has in lge1? Try getting ur facts right.
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