Andrew Dallas' signing offers glimpse of Walsall's attacking priorities

So, it should come as very little surprise that his first Walsall signing is a centre-forward following Andrew Dallas’ arrival from Barnsley.

Walsall often lacked a cutting edge in front of goal last season and relied heavily on the goal scoring expertise of loan striker Daniel Kanu.

Targeting improved attacking numbers

Kanu was responsible for 32 per cent of the Saddlers’ lowly tally of 56 goals, after netting 15 in the league and a further 18 across all competitions.

His return to parent club Charlton Athletic coupled with the departure of club captain Jamille Matt had left Walsall down to the bare bones in attack.

Admittedly, that point could be made for virtually every position in the squad following the release of 12 players at the end of the campaign.

But it’s at least promising to see Grant immediately striving to add further firepower in the attack, especially considering their attacking struggles since the turn of the year.

The Saddlers have failed to score in 10 of their 22 league games in 2026 - while seven of those blanks have come in front of their own supporters at Bescot.

That is a statistic Grant will be eager to change and he has recently voiced his desire to improve the attacking numbers next season.

A chance for Dallas to (finally) shine in the EFL

Dallas is still somewhat of an unknown commodity in the EFL. He scored eight goals combined during loans at Morecambe and Barrow in 2024-25, but was limited to just 10 starts at Cambridge United.

He has, however, been prolific in the division below with the likes of Southend United, Solihull Moors, Chesterfield and Weymouth.

That doesn’t necessarily guarantee he will replicate that form at Walsall, but at does at least offer strong evidence that he has an eye for goal.

The Scotsman netted 17 times for Southend last season and 34 goals across two seasons with Solihull Moors between 2021 and 2023.

He was reduced to just five appearances after joining Barnsley in 2023, but perhaps having a fair crack at the whip could help him finally reach the next level.

Time to reduce reliance on loan strikers

It will also be refreshing for Walsall fans to have another permanent option to call upon next season.

The goal scoring onus has tallen heavily on the shoulders of loanees such as Kanu, Nathan Lowe, Freddie Draper and Danny Johnson in the past four seasons.

Lowe and Draper were recalled in January and Johnson also returned to Mansfield midseason in 2022-23, which left Walsall scrambling to fill the void in the winter window.

Walsall will need to add at least two more attackers to their ranks this summer, but at least their business under Grant is up and running.

Avoiding another New Year capitulation is a must for Walsall next season and getting the summer business right is a good starting point if they want to prevent history from repeating itself.