Who is MK Dons' latest signing Dan Crowley?

Fans will not have to cast their minds too far back to be reminded of Dan Crowley’s capabilities.

The 27-year-old was MK Dons’ tormentor on Boxing Day when he scored one and set up the other in Notts County’s dominant 2-0 at Stadium MK, something of an audition for the midfielder ahead of his move to MK1 a few weeks later.

It capped a stunning 18 months at Meadow Lane for Crowley, who joined the Magpies after being released by Morecambe in the summer of 2023 following their relegation to League Two.

While his academy career began at Aston Villa, Crowley fell into the gaze of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal as a teenager, with the legendary boss watching him personally before pushing through the signing to take him to north London.

Though he never made a senior appearance for the Gunners, loan spells at Barnsley, Oxford and Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles earned him first-team experience. That game-time in the Netherlands, despite being relegated from the Eredivisie, made Willem II sit up and pay attention too and they brought him to Tilburg on a permanent basis.

Biding his time for first-team football, he went on loan to second division side SC Cambuur before returning to his parent club to establish himself in the starting line-up for the following season. And he proved to be a key man in the side, making 40 appearances and scoring six goals.

His performances overseas saw him return to the Midlands and Birmingham, this time in the blue half of the city. In a deal reportedly worth £700,000, Crowley moved to St Andrews where he quickly became a firm fixture in the Championship for Birmingham City. But as lockdown hit, changes set in, with manager Aitor Karanka opting to offload several players - including Josh McEachran who would go on to sign for Dons - in a move which saw Crowley loaned to Hull City.

Making 23 appearances for the Tigers, he then spent the first-half of the 21/22 campaign at Cheltenham on a short-term deal, but Willem II once again came calling in January, taking him back to Konig Willem II Stadion for 18 months.

He would spent a year back in the Netherlands before returning to England with Morecambe in January 2023, tasked with keeping them in League One. But, like Dons, the Shrimps would drop to the fourth tier that May. It prompted the club to release all out-of-contract players, allowing Crowley to move to the Midlands once more, this time with newly promoted Notts County.

Scoring 15 goals in his debut campaign at Meadow Lane, Crowley drew huge interest from Dons in the summer, but a deal never came to fruition. Four goals and six more assists this term only solidified Dons’ want for the 27-year-old, making him their second signing of the window.