Shrewsbury Town fans were promised new faces this summer who had the ‘wow’ factor and this is what we have seen over the last week, writes our Shrews blogger James Pugh.

The signings of 25-year old Shane Sherriff from Tranmere Rovers, Grant Holt from Nottingham Forest and Michael Jackson from Blackpool have brought a lot of excitement amongst fans.

Not only have our odds on getting promoted next season being slashed by the bookmakers, but I think fans now think we are showing genuine ambition and really believe next season can be a successful one for the club.

Both Grant Holt and Shane Sherriff should be coming into their prime as footballers and both have experience at a higher level.

Although some fans have felt we have paid too much for Holt – the bottom line is that he is a proven goalscorer and every successful team needs one.

I for one thinks he can handle the pressure of being faced with having a big price tag.

Although Sherriff can play at left back I’m sure he will be used at centre half as we have two very competent full-backs in Ashton and Tierney. He will also bring some much-needed balance to the heart of defence.

Some people have also said that Jackson is too old and will only be able to perform for one season. Again I would have to disagree. He played a lot of games in the championship last season, he looks like he keeps himself fit and will be a leader on the field.

With these acquisitions our team has not looked as strong as this for years and hopefully Simpson will be able to bring in similar players who have the ‘wow’ factor.

We have a bid on the table for a fourth player, which is likely to be Rotherham captain Graham Coughlan – another player I rate very highly.

In terms of players leaving I’ve heard that Kidderminster are trying to sign Constable on loan for next season. I think if it came down to strikers leaving it would be between Constable, Madjo and Symes. Out of these I would prefer we let Madjo go and don’t see how we would benefit from letting a player go out on loan.

Although fans have said we are not likely to see the Symes of a couple of seasons ago I still think he has got the ability, he just needs to get his enthusiasm back.

As Simpson continues to build the squad he will be faced with some tough choices for the coming season, including who will start at centre-half and who will be captain.

I need to see more of Jackson and Sherriff, but for me Langmead has made the position his own so it would come down to who will partner him.

As for captain I think Ben Davies is a fine player, but I don’t think he is a natural leader and would prefer to see someone like Langmead or Jackson, who captained Blackpool last season. What do fans think?