We have paid an undisclosed fee for Dagenham & Redbridge forward Junior Morias.
The 27-year-old, Jamaica-born forward joined the east-London outfit in November 2021 and has been a big player for the Daggers ever since, scoring 13 goals in his debut season and adding another 10 so far this campaign.
Morias is currently recovering from a short-term injury but, having signed a three-year deal, he is very much part of our long-term plans.
And Luke Williams says Morias will be afforded the time he needs to adjust to the physical and mental demands of life at Meadow Lane.
“As with any new signing, once Junior’s recovered he’ll need to get up to speed with the pressing and key actions we expect from our front guys,” said Williams.
“All that will come in time – but our first priority is to get him back to fitness and adjusting to the intensity.
“We’ve got brilliant medical staff here who’ll ensure he’s on the best course once we’ve fully assessed where he is.”
Williams believes Morias has the skillset to be a valuable addition to our frontline.
“He’s got the key traits we’re looking for as a professional, including the desire to do the hard yards,” said the boss.
“Junior will play in different positions for us in a similar way to Cedwyn Scott and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans, so he gives us more options and different qualities in our attacking line-up.
“He adds tremendous power, pace and aggression and we’ll hopefully provide plenty of opportunities for him to continue his goalscoring form. He’ll then have a chance to show us how ruthless he can be.”
Morias is relishing the opportunity to make his mark at his new club.
“It’s a challenge I’m grateful to have,” he said. “I want to learn from the gaffer and everyone around the club.
“I love the way Notts do things. I’ll be prepared to take in the details and, whenever I’m called upon, I’ll be ready to go.”
After agreeing a fee with Dagenham, we invited Morias to watch last night’s victory over Eastleigh.
“I was blown away,” said our new recruit, who played against us for the Daggers in this season's 5-0 away win and 2-1 home defeat.
“Playing against Notts is one thing but watching is another. Particularly in the second half, you could see the quality – the boys kicked on to another level.
“In the games I played against Notts this season, it felt like we were up against 15 men. We couldn’t get close to anyone.
“The boys are second-to-none – the way they flow, the way the centre back drives out with the ball. It’s hard to combat.
“I’m excited to be part of the group and believe we can go on and achieve our number-one goal.”
When asked to describe his style of play, Morias said: “I’m a pest – I’m no nonsense and want to work hard for my team-mates.
“I’m also a goalscorer who wants to get on the ball and link-up play.”
Prior to Dagenham, Morias had played in League One with Peterborough, League Two with Northampton and the Scottish Premiership with St Mirren.
Born in Jamaica, he moved to England as a child and represented Fulham and Wycombe as a youngster, eventually graduating from the Chairboys’ academy.
He’ll wear squad number 26.
