Milton Keynes Dons are delighted to announce the signing of striker Max Watters on loan from Cardiff City.
Watters arrives at Stadium MK on a deal which will cover the 2021/22 campaign.
The 22-year-old scored 16 goals in just 19 appearances for Crawley Town last season, before joining the Sky Bet Championship Bluebirds in January.
He becomes the Club’s fifth signing of the summer, following on from the additions of Scott Twine, Franco Ravizzoli, Josh Martin and Ethan Robson.
“I’m really pleased,” Watters told iFollow MK Dons in an exclusive first interview with the Club. “As soon as I heard about the interest, I wanted to get it done and I’m pleased it’s been completed early enough for me to settle in and meet everyone before the season starts.
“The manager has told me about how the team play and how he wants me to fit into that. It all appeals to me so much and it will help me develop too, with the way I like to play.
“I’m a striker who likes to get in behind and be there in the box when the ball is coming in. I love to score goals and if you look at this squad, we’ve got some great players who can provide me with the chances to do that.”
Born in Camden, Watters began his career in non-league with Thurrock, Barking and Ashford United before earning himself a professional contract with Doncaster Rovers in May 2018.
Watters, who enjoyed loan spells with Grantham Town, Mickleover Sports and Maidstone United while at the Keepmoat Stadium, made his EFL debut in December 2019 as a substitute in Donny’s League One clash with, ironically, MK Dons.
He totalled five appearances for the South Yorkshire club before leaving at the end of the 2019/20 campaign and joining Crawley Town, where he had an excellent three-month spell.
Watters scored 16 goals in 19 appearances for the Red Devils, including a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over Barrow, while his record in December (six goals in six games) saw him named Sky Bet League Two Player of the Month.
Watters’ stunning form earned him a move to Cardiff City in January of this year and the striker went on to make three Sky Bet Championship appearances for the Bluebirds last term.
Russell Martin said: “This is a brilliant signing for us. We chased him in January before his move to Cardiff City and have retained that interest in him - he has retained interest as well and was keen to come here on loan this season.
“Mick McCarthy and Cardiff have been brilliant in helping to facilitate this move. They believe this is a great opportunity for Max and so do we. He will be a really good fit in our squad - he’s young, athletic and he’s a goalscorer too.”
Sporting Director Liam Sweeting added: “We are really pleased to welcome Max to MK Dons and I’d like to thank Mick McCarthy and Cardiff City for trusting us with his development this season.
“It’s well known that we previously tried to sign Max in January but his outstanding form with Crawley saw him jump straight to the Championship. In that period, he showed exactly what he can bring to a team - his movement, anticipation and focus is all about getting in behind and scoring goals.
“Meeting him yesterday, we saw how excited he is to get going under Russ and begin learning our style of play. We look forward to, hopefully, creating many goalscoring opportunities for him here at Stadium MK.”
