Shrewsbury Town announce signing of midfielder Nick Freeman
Michael Appleton believes new signing Nick Freeman will be a "very good" addition to Shrewsbury Town thanks to his experience and versatility.
The 30-year-old became Salop's third signing of the January transfer window on Tuesday, joining on a deal until the end of the season.
Freeman has been out of contract since leaving his hometown club Stevenage at the end of last season. He suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and has been training with the League One club during his recovery.
The midfielder brings a wealth of experience and can play in multiple positions - qualities Salop boss Appleton greatly values.
He said: "Nick is vastly experienced and can play in multiple positions.
"He is comfortable at right-back or wing-back, can operate in central midfield and can also play out wide, which is invaluable when you’re working with a smaller squad.
"He brings real quality on the ball and great composure. And he is someone who, when we were looking at him from a reference point of view, people couldn't speak highly enough of his character.
"That’s often the hardest thing to judge when you’re recruiting, but every reference we received about Nick was extremely positive.
"All round, he’s a really good footballer who knows the level, and he’ll be a very good addition for us."
Freeman links up with fellow mid-season arrivals Iwan Morgan and Trey Ogunsuyi at the Meadow.
The midfielder boasts more than 250 senior career appearances, scoring seven goals for Wycombe Wanderers and three for Stevenage.
He trained with Shrewsbury last week before putting pen to paper.
"It all happened really quickly," Freeman said. "But the first couple days I came here, I instantly got a really warm feeling. Everyone was really welcome.
"I like the setup here. It's very professional, very well organised. So for me, it was it was a no-brainer, to be honest."
Freeman became a regular starter for Wycombe during the 2017/18 season, helping them earn promotion to League One. He later signed a three-year deal in 2019 and spent time on loan at Leyton Orient in 2021, before leaving Wycombe at the end of the 2022/23 campaign to join Stevenage.
Despite his recent injury setback, Freeman says he feels ready to help Salop climb the League Two table.
He added: "I had a cruciate ligament injury back in March. I probably came back about beginning of November time, so I've been fit for a while.
"To be honest, I'm just ready to get going now. It's been a while since I've featured in a league game, but I'm feeling good, I'm feeling strong.
"I'm feeling ready to just start playing and being involved again. I'm in a good place, but so far this season, I haven't played in many minutes.
"But for me, I've always been a naturally fit person and I back myself to come anywhere and do really well and make an impact in the squad."
