Late bid turned away as Dons keep pieces in place

MK Dons turned away a 'very good offer' for one of their players on transfer deadline day.

While conducting some good business of their own - signing Zak Jules from Walsall for an undisclosed fee, and loaning striker Will Grigg from Sunderland - Russell Martin rebutted a late bid.

Having seen six players depart Stadium MK this month, Martin spoke early on deadline day of his desire to keep the exit door sealed and despite the nature of the bid, he said he was delighted to be able to do so.

"We turned down a very good offer for one of our players today, but it came in really late and we didn't need to do it so we didn't," he said, "It was a really good opportunity for the player, but we've chosen to stay strong and keep him here. Everyone we have is really important to how we do this season. It was a statement of intent from the club. Now we move forwards."

On the whole, with six in and six out this month, Martin reflected on the window as a very positive one and he believes it puts the club in good stead for the rest of the season and beyond.

He said: "It has been a long day – Will getting done very late didn't help the nerves, but we're really pleased to get him and Zak over the line. Both players we've been interested in for a long time. We worked hard to keep the deal alive, and Will did his bit as well to make sure we were the place he came to play football.

"What we've done over the last month is try to implement change and move forward. You can see the players we've brought in are hungry and desperate to be here, want to buy into the style and the culture.

"It has been a really successful window, I'm pleased it's shut and I'm excited about moving forward."