New signing Toto Nsiala sat down with the media after signing a permanent deal with Fleetwood Town on Friday morning and talked about how the move happened and what he expects from his time at the club.
The 29-year-old defender became Stephen Crainey’s second signing of the January transfer window after forward Ellis Harrison, with the vastly experienced defender bringing more than 350 professional appearances to Highbury, including international experience with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Here’s what Toto had to say in his first interview:
On signing on with the Cods…
“It feels good to be back up north, it was important for the family to do this, and I want to just focus on my football, play more games and show my worth at the club. Fleetwood has always been on my mind, as it has with my agent as well. I feel like the staff and the manager wanted it to happen, and I feel like it was always going to happen – it’s a good time to make the move.
“It gives me time at home, and it shows belief from the club that they want me as a player and it’s always good to feel wanted; I feel like they’ve given me a good opportunity to show that here. I can’t wait to play – hopefully that can be this weekend!
“I played against Fleetwood for Ipswich, and I thought they were very good, I was impressed with [Jay] Matete and the young midfielders who were very good on the day. I know the quality and there are a few young lads who have raw talent so I’m looking forward to working with them.”
On his positive attitude…
"I just want to play games and enjoy my football. The vibe here with the coaches, players, and staff is just different and you can feel it's a good place to be - I'm happy to be here. I've been in these positions before, in terms of the league position, and this isn't the same that I've felt in the past. There's a positive vibe I get from the place - I don't see it as a big task to push ourselves on.
“My first question was ‘what’s the promotion bonus?’ as I’m always trying to be positive and look towards the future, but I’ve seen what I’ve seen and feel like there’s a lot of quality players – the side just needed strengthening in certain areas with experience.
“I’m quite happy to be part of and help people along the way. The league is so close and tight so anything could happen. A couple of games could see us push up there, so we just need to stay strong together and kick on.”
On knowing players in the squad…
“It was a massive result for the side at the weekend, I was keeping an eye on how they were getting on and It made me even happier seeing Ellis [Harrison] score! I’ve known Ellis for a long time now and I was glad he got the goal, and the lads got the three points – it’s always good moving in the right direction.
“I was having breakfast and I felt a slap on the back of my head, and I knew exactly who it was, which it was Ellis! It’s not just Ellis, it’s about being back up north as I’m a scouser and seeing a couple of familiar faces, which is a good thing, so that will help me settle in with the lads.”