"Hunger to win" - New signing Declan Skura on Walsall loan switch

Declan Skura says he shares Walsall’s “desire to win” after joining from League One side Wycombe Wanderers on a season-long loan.

The 24-year-old has made 27 appearances for the Chairboys in total and scored his first EFL goal in the penultimate game against League One champions Lincoln City in late April.

Skura has also gained experience on loan at Yeovil Town and Ebbsfleet United, after initially launching his career in non-league with Hanworth Villa and later Kingstonian.

The former Chelsea and Reading academy centre-back has spoken about his hunger to win - and feels that Walsall match his ambitions.

“You could see the hunger to win is there” - Skura

“I’ve been told by a lot of people that this is a great place and for me the club is my focus for this season, I really want to get promoted and from the meetings I had with Lee (Grant) you could see the hunger to win is there,” Skura said.

“The lads have made me feel very welcome already and helped me settle in, which is always a nice feeling.

“Given my position on the pitch my main priority of course is defend first, keep as many clean sheets as possible and be aggressive and win the ball back so we can play forward. In possession, I like to break the lines and step in – anything to keep the ball moving really.

“I’m buzzing to be here, the stadium is really nice and as I mentioned previously I want to win as many games as possible and go as far as possible in the cup competitions but promotion is the main one for me – I can’t wait to get started.”

Last season, Skura scored once in six appearances on loan at Yeovil, before he was recalled by Wycombe in March.

The young defender started in each of the Chairboys’ final three league games and also registered an assist in a 3-2 final day win over Rotherham United.

Skura keen to “develop” at Walsall - Grant

Skura becomes the Saddlers’ eighth summer signing under new head coach Lee Grant and their second via the loan market.

He will enter the defensive options alongside fellow summer recruit James Connolly, as well as Rico Browne and Harrison Burke.

And Grant feels that his mentality to develop and improve was a major factor behind Walsall bringing Skura to the club.

“We believe he’s a defender who displays some unique attributes and is driven to develop during his time with us,” Grant added.

“Declan will certainly add another layer to our defensive options and we’d like to thank Wycombe for putting their faith and trust in us with one of their young talents – we’re looking forward to working with him in what we hope will be a positive season for all.”