Wanderers clinch signing of 'multi-dimensional' Crawley striker Klaidi Lolos

WANDERERS have clinched the signing of highly rated striker Klaidi Lolos from League One new boys Crawley Town.

The versatile forward has signed a three-year deal at the Toughsheet Stadium for an undisclosed fee and becomes Ian Evatt’s third new arrival of the summer.

Greece-born Lolos scored 13 goals in all competitions for Crawley last season as they gained promotion to League One and was on the radar for several Championship and League One clubs as he came into the final 12 months of his contract.

“He is a very talented boy, physically really good – 6ft 1in – aggressive with and without the ball and extremely technical,” Evatt said. “He will give us options because he can play multiple positions really well.

“He is a creator and a goal-scorer, both-footed, and there is improvement to come.

“He is a young player on a journey which has made him hungry and last season was extremely successful for Crawley, in general, but Klaidi was very impressive and we worked very hard to make it happen quickly.”

Evatt says he is working on a more flexible tactical approach this season and believes that players like Lolos can help him “tweak” the gameplan.

“He suits the profile,” he said. “We have thought hard about how we improve the squad and how we re-energise the squad because there are some wounds that are still not healed. We need people in with a fresh outlook and fresh positivity.

“There is a lot of hard work to be done, we are not finished yet. There are things happening all the time and we’re working hard to improve the squad and it’ll be a busy summer.”

Wanderers released Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Cameron Jerome at the end of last season but Evatt insists his new player should not be placed into the ‘target man’ bracket.

He added: “It isn’t like for like because he is so multi-dimensional – he can play as an eight, a 10, a nine, and we’re talking about having a different part of our plan. He gives us the flexibility to do that.

“He is a really talented player who can lead the line, build from deeper, receive in tight spaces and play forwards. He is an exciting player who we are looking forward to working with.”

Lolos was a youth player at Olympiakos and Crystal Palace but got his professional break at Plymouth Argyle, where he made 16 appearances but did not start a league game.

During his time at Adams Park he was also capped by Greece at Under-19s level but after his release in the summer of 2021, he dropped into non-league football with Torquay United and then moved on after one season to Oxford City.

There he scored 16 goals to help the club win promotion to the National League for the first time in their history, in turn earning a move to Crawley last summer.