Jamie Tolley: There's plenty to like about Shrewsbury Town's first summer signing

The first Shrewsbury Town arrival of the summer is through the door and it certainly looks like a positive one.

Welcome to Arkell Jude-Boyd. It's a youthful signing and one that fits the profile Gavin Cowan appears to be targeting.

At just 23, he is exactly the sort of player Town seem to be looking for. Gavin wants a young squad with plenty of energy, athleticism and players capable of operating in more than one position.

On the face of it, this looks a really good signing and hopefully he can come in and make the same sort of impact Kevin Berkoe did after arriving in January.

It's funny how things work out. Gavin's first two signings as manager have both been wing-backs. He is building from the back and putting strong foundations in place before moving further up the pitch as the summer progresses.

It's been a great start to the summer so far. The signing of Josh Ruffels, which I touched on last week, was a huge boost for the football club. To follow that up with the addition of Jude-Boyd is another positive step.

I'm looking forward to seeing him in blue and amber and hopefully he can have the same sort of influence Berkoe had after joining the club.

I actually saw Arkell play for Cheltenham against Shrewsbury on Boxing Day. The Robins were very good that afternoon and he played his part in a strong performance.

Hopefully he can bring that same level of form and consistency to Town.

What also stands out is the experience he already has. He's amassed a good number of league appearances and, at 23, he'll still be ambitious and eager to keep improving.

Looking at it from the outside, and thinking along the same lines as Gavin, you always want to build from a solid defensive base.

You've got Will Brook in goal, who is a very talented young goalkeeper. He'll need competition and support around him, but the foundations at the back are starting to look strong.

Kevin Berkoe looks nailed on in one wing-back position, and now you've brought in another player of a similar profile on the opposite side.

It's a really solid platform to build from and hopefully we'll see further additions arrive as the summer goes on.

One of the biggest positives for me is the timing of these signings. It shows intent from both the football club and Gavin. They clearly have a plan and they're moving early to put it into action.

There's nothing worse than reaching the final week or so before players return for pre-season and feeling as though you're scrambling around trying to get deals done.

By getting players through the door early, it allows everyone to prepare properly and gives Gavin more time to work with the squad when pre-season begins.

Alongside the signing, Town have also announced a pre-season friendly against Hereford, which is something I'm really looking forward to.

Thinking back to my playing days, there was always a little bit of an edge to that fixture.

It's a local game, just down the A49, and it's the sort of match supporters enjoy. Hopefully by then we'll also get the chance to see a few more new faces in action.

I've got no doubt Gavin already has irons in the fire when it comes to midfield and attacking positions.

I'd imagine conversations are taking place right now and he'll be keen to get those deals over the line as quickly as possible.

A striker, in particular, feels like a key priority. Goalscorers are the players every club is searching for and they're never easy to find.

I'm sure plenty of work is going on behind the scenes and I fully expect there to be more movement over the coming days and weeks.

I'm also very excited about the club's upcoming kit launch. I've heard on the grapevine there's going to be a little emblem of my face on it to celebrate!

All jokes aside, I can't wait to see it. Hopefully they've gone a bit old school with the design.

It's a big year for the football club. A few of us from the 2003/04 promotion-winning side that won at Stoke have been speaking recently and we're hoping to do something together at the club during the season.

It's an important year for Shrewsbury Town and I genuinely can't wait to see how it unfolds.