Banks o’ Dee co-manager Paul Lawson is thrilled they have managed to sign Chris Antoniazzi on a permanent basis.
The midfielder initially joined the Spain Park side on loan from Elgin City last month, but has now made the switch permanent – signing a two-and-a-half-year deal – after impressing in recent weeks.
Lawson previously worked Antoniazzi at Formartine United and admits when he and Josh Winton took over at Dee in January the 22-year-old was immediately on his radar.
He said: “In the short time Chris has been with us he’s shown his quality in the games he’s played.
“I’ve worked with him before and I knew that quality was there.
“A few of the boys have played with him when they were younger so they knew his ability.
“He’s come in and hit the ground running for us and hopefully he can keep that form up and help us go to where we want to go.
“Once Josh and I took over he was someone that was on my radar and I knew he was in and out of the team at Elgin.
✍️ TRANSFER NEWS ✍️
After impressing in his first three matches, Dee has agreed terms with Elgin City to make Chris Antoniazzi's loan move permanent.
Welcome to the club Chris, all the best!#transfer #transfernews pic.twitter.com/sKrvDjTFMd
— Banks O' Dee FC (@banksodee_fc) March 7, 2023
“He was keen to give it a go at Elgin but when I spoke to Chris we agreed that a loan until the end of the season would be good and then we could take it from there.
“But he’s enjoyed it and we’ve enjoyed having him here, we were keen to get him permanently from the outset, but the loan route suited everyone initially.
“We’re delighted Chris has now committed to us, it gives us a boost.”
Experience and youth
Former Aberdeen youth prospect Antoniazzi has also played for Cove Rangers, Montrose and Forfar and Lawson believes his experience will benefit Dee.
He added: “We’ve got quite a lot of lads aged 20-25 and Chris fits into that.
“Despite still being young, he brings a lot of experience to a team where for many it’s their first year in the Highland League.”