Ross County manager Derek Adams has challenged Joe Cardle to fill the void left by former Staggies attacker Ivan Sproule.
The 27-year-old, who was a target for Championship winners Dundee, has signed a pre-contract agreement with County from Championship club Raith Rovers and will join the Staggies for pre-season training in July.
Adams has been looking for a player with pace since former Hibernian player Sproule left the club in November and believes his first signing of the summer possesses all the attributes he wanted.
He said: “Joe has got great pace and loves to attack players in wide areas and get crosses into the box. Those are attributes we have been missing since Ivan left the club and I’m hoping Joe can fill the void for us.
“Joe likes to take people on and creates chances for others. He is a player we have high hopes for.”
The County manager has followed Cardle’s progress closely in recent years and believes the attacking midfielder can make a big impact for the club in the top flight when the new campaign begins on August 9.
Adams said: “We’ve watched him for a number of seasons now going back to his time at Dunfermline and I watched him playing for Raith against Hibernian in the Scottish Cup earlier in the season. He was the best player on the pitch by a mile that day.
“He shone again for Raith when they won the Ramsdens Cup final against Rangers and it’s clear he is a talented player.
“He is 27, has played a lot of football and is coming here in the prime years of his career. He has played at the highest level in this country with Dunfermline and I’ve no doubt he will adapt quickly to life back in the Scottish Premiership.”
Adams is pleased to have his first new recruit on board, but has warned supporters they may have to be patient for more to arrive as talks continue with other signing targets.
The future of some of the first team players has also still to be resolved and Adams said: “Joe is our first signing but I’m not expecting much more transfer activity until late June and early July. We’ve had to wait until our place in the league was secured in the last week of the season to begin planning for the next campaign and that means talks have progressed slower this time.”