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San Jose Earthquakes announce signing of Simon Dawkins from Derby County

By on January 6, 2016

The San Jose Earthquakes’ offseason this winter had been slightly drowsy, a hush falling over Avaya Stadium during the holidays. That changed today. This morning, the Quakes signaled the beginning of their preseason preparations with a bang, announcing the signing of Simon Dawkins from Derby County.

Dawkins, a twenty-eight-year-old winger, has been on the Quakes’ radar since a season-long loan stint in 2011. He joined The Goonies on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, although he never actually played a match for his boyhood club, and formed a key cog in their Supporters’ Shield-winning side, notching fourteen goals in fifty-three appearances.

He subsequently had loan moves to Aston Villa and Derby Country and joined the latter on a permanent transfer in 2014. Dawkins has also won eleven caps for the Jamaican national team.  Said Quakes General Manager John Doyle in a conference call with reporters: “When I was in Europe, I got to stop by and talk to Simon and talk to his father. This year, I flew to Jamaica to meet with Simon and see where he was. I spoke to Sam Rush, the chairman at Derby, last year about Simon, so just gauging the interest. Finally, we were able to grab him. It’s been a long process. The timing was right.”

Dawkins has spent the majority of his career playing from the bench and, as Doyle said: “he hasn’t been playing for Derby lately, so he’s hungry to play. That’s one thing he said to me is that he wanted to get here and play and have a regular spot. His quote to me was he had some ‘unfinished business in San Jose.”

He rejoins San Jose on a free transfer as the Quakes’ fourth Designated Player and is waiting his P-1B Visa before flying out to join the team’s upcoming preseason training. “He should be here right around the start of preseason,” said Doyle.

Quakes manager Dominic Kinnear will also be integrating new signing Chad Barrett’s fit in the team’s offensive outlook, which is showing promising signs with Innocent Emeghara’s return from injury. Kinnear hinted that Emeghara will play up front, from which it is easy to infer that Dawkins will begin on the left wing, although the Glasgow-born manager emphasized the fact that Dawkins is “very versatile” and can play both out wide and through the middle.

Regardless, Kinnear said that Dawkins’ addition, “puts more goals in our roster” and “creates competition and a battle for minutes” up front. “With the amount of internationals that are going on [this year], you have to create as much depth as possible,” Kinnear added.

The Quakes are still exploring their options in the transfer market, although there are no imminent signings on the defensive front. “It’s a fluid time for us right now,” said Doyle. “We don’t need to be roster compliant until a week before the season starts.”

In other preseason news, Doyle noted that Steven Lenhart’s recovery from a knee has “made no progress” and that the Quakes will “be making a statement on Steven before the season starts.” Jordan Stewart is also likely to be on the Quakes’ roster for the upcoming season and while he’s “in the building,” although not under contract.

Quakes midfielders Marc Pelosi and Fatai Alashe were also announced as a part of the US Men’s National Team’s January training camp ahead of friendlies against Iceland and Canada at the Stubhub Center in Los Angeles.

Photo credit: Ryan Knapp, via Flickr

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.