Jason deal is just the start - Boss
leedsunited.com 4/5/12United manager Neil Warnock says the early arrival of Portsmouth defender Jason Pearce is just the start as his re-building plans kicked off with some urgency this week.
The boss wasted little time in signalling his intentions earlier this week when he placed six players on the transfer list, and he was delighted to be able to announce his first long-term signing so soon after the season ended.
"I'm delighted," said the United manager. "He is a lad I've been looking at a lot and for a long while now. I saw him when he was at Bournemouth and almost took him to QPR last summer.
"I tried to get him in March when I first came here, but couldn't quite do it.
"I think he epitomises what I'm looking for in a player. He's got hunger and enthusiasm, and he won all the player of the year awards down at Portsmouth. He's just the type of player we need.
"I feel disappointed for the situation Portsmouth are in at the moment, but they'll come through it. We've all been through it, and there's no sentiment in football.
"Here we want to build a side and as soon as you get your number one signing in you can really start. I couldn't have got a better one that Jason. He's a lovely lad, fits in well, he has a good family, and everything's good around him.
"He'll love it here and I'm sure he'll be a fans favourite. He's not old, he's only 24, he's not a 34-year-old. He's got so much to prove, and I think we can make him a better player here."
With the central defender now recruited, the boss is already working on further targets as he looks to maintain the momentum of his close-season recruitment drive.
"This is the hard work just starting," he said.
"We've had some late nights and we've met quite a lot of players and agents. We spoke to two or three on Thursday. I've been at some clubs where I've done deals at home because I didn't want them to see the training ground or the facilities - that's not the case here.
"Once they see the facilities they don't want to leave!
"We're trying to get some deals done and hopefully we can progress quickly."
