Shrewd transfer business has made Dons' squad better, says Neilson

Robbie Neilson believes he has built a better team than the one he inherited in December.
Gboly Ariyibi arrived on loan from Nottingham ForestGboly Ariyibi arrived on loan from Nottingham Forest
Gboly Ariyibi arrived on loan from Nottingham Forest

Following Karl Robinson's departure after six-and-a-half years last October, Neilson joined in December to guide Dons to 12th place in League 1.

With eight players and three loanees leaving over the summer, Neilson has added eight new faces to his squad, four of which are on loan.

And the boss is confident his signings will be a success in achieving their goal of automatic promotion this season.

Ous CisseOus Cisse
Ous Cisse

"We've brought some really good players in, and we're still working on bringing more in too," said Neilson. "The window doesn't shut for another four weeks so we have plenty of time.

"It's important to bring in good characters and they've all fit in well. We did our homework, they're all good guys and it's important we get guys into the group who are hungry to go and do well for the team and for themselves."

Neilson had just two new faces - Peter Pawlett and Conor McGrandles - confirmed when his side returned to pre-season training, prompting some fans to voice their concerns.

However, six signings later, Neilson believes the calibre of his new recruits show it was better to wait than to leap at the first players he could find.

Aaron TshibolaAaron Tshibola
Aaron Tshibola

He said: "The most important thing is to bring in players who are better than the ones who left. That's why we've taken our time to get there. We could easily have brought in 10 or 11 players, but it wouldn't have been the quality we wanted.

"We waited, got the right players and hopefully the players who have come in will show why we waited for them."

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