INTERNATIONAL FORWARD SIGNS

Barnet FC are delighted to announce that they have signed the former Dutch Full international forward Collins John.

Head Coach Mark Robson has said, “Naturally I am delighted that a player of Collins John’s ability has signed for the club and he is back in the English game where he made his name.

“He is a strong, powerful centre-forward and that will certainly help the younger players around him and undoubtedly he’ll be of great asset to the team. The next few weeks now will obviously be important in terms of getting him match fit.

“I’d also like to say that without the active involvement of the Chairman this deal would in all likelihood not have taken place.”

The former Premier League player will be able to make his debut once international clearance issues have been resolved.

26-year-old John has previously played in England for Fulham, Leicester City and Watford.

Born in Liberia he came to the fore in Holland with Twente before a £600k move to Fulham in 2004 and was the club’s top goalscorer in the 2005-06 season.

John was also part of the Dutch U21 squad that won the 2006 European Championship in Portugal.

Speaking to barnetfc.com Collins John himself said, “I am happy to be back in England, I enjoyed my time at Fulham, and now I am older, more experienced and excited to be playing in the English league.

“I was offered the chance to play for Barnet and I just grabbed the opportunity especially as I love the style of English football which I have missed. The training facilities at The Hive are amazing.

“I’ve learnt a lot from being at Fulham and from my other clubs and although I am only 26-years- old I bring a wealth of experience.

“It saddens me to see the league position my new club is in, however that boosts me even further to help them move up.

“I’m a box player, I bring power and strength, I give 100% all the time and I just can’t wait to get going.”

Chairman Tony Kleanthous has said of the signing, “I am very pleased we have been able to sign a player with such an accomplished record of playing at the highest level. His quality, strength and experience is exactly what our young players need to help them through the rigours of League 2 football and I am looking forward to his debut once we get international clearance.

“I hope to announce a couple more signings in the coming weeks of a similar high calibre so supporters can rest assured all my staff are working hard behind the scenes to arrest this poor start to the campaign."

Paul Fairclough was very positive and said, “There is no doubt that the signing of Collins is a statement of intent. Collins was revered by all Premiership defenders including the likes at Manchester United whom he scored against. Collins, once we get him fully fit, will score goals.”