Mansfield and Ashfield Chad

With tonight's transfer deadline fast approaching, Mansfield Town have announced the signing of midfielder George Abbott on loan from Tottenham Hotspur until the end of the season.

Sign up to our daily newsletter

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Mansfield and Ashfield Chad, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

With Forest loanee Jamie McDonnell recalled and then sold to Oxford in this window, Stags boss Nigel Clough had said he wanted to replace the tough-tacking midfielder with someone similar and has managed to get his man.

“I’m really happy to be here,” said Abbott.

“It’s a new start again for me and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.

“As soon as there was interest from Mansfield, I talked to Oliver (Irow, also on loan from Spurs), who spoke so highly of the club and it was an easy decision to sign on loan.”

When asked about his playing style, he said: “I’m a defensive midfielder or box-to-box midfielder. I like to get stuck in and win tackles as well as get forward quite a lot and have a few chances.”

The 20-year-old joined Spurs as a seven-year-old and rose through the ranks before making his senior debut for the club in 4-1 Premier League win over Leeds in 2023.

George captained Tottenham’s U21s to the Premier League 2 title in the 2023/24 season, producing some excellent displays – performances that would earn him several admirers for a potential loan move in the following campaign.

It was Notts County in Sky Bet League Two who won the race to secure the playmaker’s signature.

The former England U18 international shone at Meadow Lane, scoring six times in 44 appearances.

A spectacular strike away at Accrington Stanley earned George the EFL Goal of the Season award and his noteworthy displays throughout the campaign a place in the PFA Team of the Year.

Following a successful spell in Nottingham, the midfielder signed a new contract at Spurs before joining Wycombe Wanderers in Sky Bet League One.

The versatile performer joins Stags following the end of his loan at Adams Park.

Earlier in the day Stags had taken current Birmingham City loanee midfielder Tyler Adams on a permanent deal to the end of the season after he reached an agreement with the Blues to end his current deal there.

Last week Mansfield brought in goalkeeper Harry Lewis from Carlisle United and prior to that had signed Victor Adeboyejo from Bolton Wanderers as well as loanees Jon Russell, from Barnsley, and Oliver Irow, also from Spurs.

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com

and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Visit Shots! now

Matthew Craig says he’s looking forward to helping Mansfield Town enjoy a strong second half of the season after joining on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.

Sign up to our daily newsletter

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Mansfield and Ashfield Chad, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Submitting...

The 21-year-old midfielder, who can also play at centre-half and right-back, has been on loan at Barnsley for the first half the of the campaign, playing 16 times in all competitions, but was recalled this week to then make the move to the Stags for its remainder.

And speaking to the club’s media he explained the appeal of joining Mansfield Town.

He said: “"I’m delighted to be here and can’t wait to get started.

"The support here is brilliant and the team’s doing really well this year which makes it easier when you’re coming into a team that’s doing well rather than struggling,

"The manager is obviously a big draw too. He detailed how family-orientated the club is and it was a big factor for me to come to a club which is tight-knit with a good fanbase.

"The style here suits me too in terms of being front foot and attacking.

"I spoke to Davis Keilor-Dunn before coming as he was here for a couple of seasons before joining Barnsley in the summer, and he spoke about the club in glowing terms which helped contribute to the season too.

"Being at Barnsley was a good experience for me, especially going up a league in the summer [from being at Doncaster last season] and I got quite a few games there too, so I’m really looking forward to kicking on in the second half of the season.

"Doncaster was really good too last season and getting to the play-offs was exciting, we didn’t get the results we wanted but it was a great achievement to get there in the first place considering where we were at Christmas.

Craig has been at Tottenham since U12s level and made his debut at the end of the 2022/23 season against Leeds United.

He also represents Scotland under-21s and has previously captained his nation in younger age groups.

He added: "I’m energetic and like to get the ball down and play as well as getting my foot in to a tackle. Like every youngster I watch all the top midfielders and try and add bits of what they do into my game.”

Craig also has a twin brother, Michael, who plays for fellow League One club Reading having left Tottenham in 2022.

Matthew added: “Being in the same league as each other is good as we can share bits about opponents and things like that, and it’s good to have someone else who’s very close to you that you can go through things with.

"It’ll make it a bit sweeter if we beat Reading when we play them but I have to just treat him like any other opponent so I’ll look forward to it.”

The transfer window is in full swing and the deals are flooding in around the EFL.

Here we bring you the latest summer transfer window news, gossip and more from across League One and Two for Tuesday July 9.

Join the debate on our social media channels.

The transfer window is in full swing and the deals are flooding in around the EFL.

Here we bring you the latest summer transfer window news, gossip and more from across League One and Two for Friday July 5.

Join the debate on our social media channels.