New signing Pele Arganese-McDermott believes a ‘very good’ squad is being built at Crawley Town.
Sign up to our Brighton and Hove Albion FC newsletter
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to SussexWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Submitting...
The former Tottenham youngster was the third signing - out of eight so far - this summer for Reds and one of three new defenders to bolster the backline options for Colin Kazim-Richards.
The 20-year-old joined the club on a two-year deal, with the option of a third, and was a product of Luton Town’s academy system before joining Spurs in 2022 but Crawley Town will be his first foray into senior men’s football.
“I've settled in really well,” said the defender. “I think the lads are a great bunch. Colin demands very high standards. I'm still getting used to it. It's been two weeks now, but no, I'm really enjoying it. It's a really good start so far.”
And he is impressed with what he has seen from Kazim-Richards and the improved training facilities at their Falmer base.
He said: “I think Colin is very clear on what he wants and the way he wants to play, which is good. I like it. He's got a lot of attention to detail. Now I like the way he plays and I'm looking forward to hopefully implementing that.”
And on the training facilities, he added: “You can see where the club want to go. It shows ambition, which the players have as well. It's a good area to push.”
With the other signings Reds have made, Arganese-McDemott is confident Reds won’t find themselves in the same situation as they did last season.
“I’m very, very impressed. I think Colin and the people at Crawley are building a very good team,” he said. “There’s a lot of quality coming in, a lot of young lads, a lot of experienced lads. You need that balance.
“I think it's going to be a really positive season.”
With defenders Priestley Farquharson and Ty Ewens-Findlay also signing in addition to established defenders like Charlie Barker, Akin Odimayo and Ben Radcliffe, competition is stiff for places in the backline.
But Arganese-McDermott is not phased. “It's really good. I think competition makes everyone better, pushes everyone around you. It's your job to get the shirt on match day,” he said.
With plenty of new signings, there will be plenty of ‘initiation songs’ on that first overnight away trip for players and staff alike to enjoy.
But again, the former Spurs man is not phased and seemed confident of his singing abilities. When asked if he had been rehearsing, he said: “ I don't need to rehearse. I've got no problem with doing stuff like that. I'm quite cool with it actually.”
He added: “If it's team bonding, you have to get up and be able to sing. It's a trust thing as well. I'll be looking forward to hearing some of the lads sing as well.”