Striker loft in

Last updated : 02 August 2019 By Paddock Pundit

Carlisle United are delighted to confirm that Leicester City forward Ryan Loft has joined the Blues on a season-long loan deal this afternoon.

Having started as a youngster on the non-league circuit with Dartford and Ebbsfleet, Loft, now 21, was snapped up by the Tottenham Hotspur academy in 2013.

He had loan spells with Braintree, Stevenage and Exeter whilst with Spurs, and moved on from White Hart Lane to sign a two-year deal with the Foxes in the summer of 2018.

Manager Steven Pressley said: “He’s very different to what we’ve already got and that’s one of the aspects I’ve spoken a lot about.

“We wanted to have a different type of striker available, so we could change things for certain games and play in certain ways. It was important we had that variety, and Ryan gives us that.

“He’s a big physical striker at nearly 6”4, but people shouldn’t be fooled by that because he’s also exceptionally mobile and quick. I think we’re getting him at a very good age, because I think strikers like him are late developers.

“Strikers who rely a little bit more on their physicality tend to develop a little later, and we think Ryan is one of those.

“He fits the profile we’ve been looking for and we’re excited to get him in. We said when Canice [Carroll] arrived that we were looking for a different type of midfielder, and it’s the same with the strikers.

“It leaves us with only two further slots in the squad to fill, with an additional midfielder and the final striker. I think considering the amount of recruitment that has been required over the summer that we’ve done well to get ourselves into this position ahead of the opening game of the season.

“This brings us up to four loans and, as we said at the Forum last night, we’ll be looking now at a loan striker and a free midfielder.”