St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson has hailed Declan Gallagher as a 'leader' and says he knows 'exactly what I'm going to get' after reuniting with the former Motherwell captain.
Scotland international Gallagher, 31, has signed a two-year deal with the Paisley club after leaving Aberdeen, and goes with them on their pre-season tour of Northern Ireland.
That was quite a turn-around from a deal that had looked to be OFF on Saturday, but Gallagher is Robinson's sixth summer signing.
Robinson has worked with Blantyre man Gallagher before, having signed him at Motherwell in 2019, where he was quickly made captain.
He will hope Gallagher can shore up a defence that shipped 51 goals last season, making them one of the worst in the Premiership.
Robinson told Renfrewshire Live Sport: "I’ve signed Declan before so I know exactly what I’m going to get from him.
“Looking at last season it was absolutely clear we had to improve defensively. Our record at the back last season simply wasn’t anywhere near good enough.
“He improves us dramatically as he’s not only very good in the air, he’s also very good on the ball.
“I want us to play out a bit more from the back this season and he will definitely help us do that.
“He’s also a leader and a current Scotland international. We need experience and organisational skill and he has that in abundance.
“We’ve got a very young squad and the likes of Declan and Joe Shaughnessy will be vital next season to help keep the youngsters heading in the right direction.”
Gallagher joins quite a large ex-Motherwell contingent at St Mirren, adding to Trevor Carson, Mark O'Hara, Charles Dunne, Curtis Main and Richard Tait.
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