Walsall sign Forest Green striker Jamille Matt for undisclosed fee

The 33-year-old joins for an undisclosed fee and will also re-unite with head coach Michael Flynn, who he worked with during his time at Newport County between 2018 and 2020.

He began his career in the West Midlands with Sutton Coldfield Town and has also played for Kidderminster Harriers, Fleetwood Town, Stevenage, Plymouth Argyle, Blackpool and Grimsby Town

He left Blackpool at the end of the 2017-18 season and joined Flynn at Newport that summer, scoring 26 goals in 98 matches, 20 of them coming in the 2018-19 campaign that saw the Exiles reach the play-off final.

In the summer of 2020, he joined Forest Green and scored 17 goals in his first season as Rovers finished in the play-off places.

Matt improved his tally in his second season at the Bolt New Lawn, netting 20 goals to help Forest Green win the League Two title in 2022.

In total, he has netted 39 goals in two and half seasons in Gloucestershire and said he is looking forward to starting the next stage of his career with Walsall.

He said: "I am delighted. There has been interest there for a little bit now that I have known about and I am just delighted to get the transfer over the line finally.

“Michael Flynn being in charge was a massive part to the decision. I had a very fruitful spell alongside him and Wayne Hatswell as well when we worked together at Newport.

“He is someone who I have really enjoyed working with and when he wanted me to come along and join what Walsall are doing it was an easy decision.

“League Two is a division that I have played the majority of my football in in the last few years especially in. It is a division I know quite well and that I am experienced at this level so hopefully I can replicate that for Walsall now.

“I grew up in Walsall from 10-year-old onwards and played SUnday football here,I went to school here. My first football league match was here at Walsall alongside some friends of mine who brought me along and that is probably when I caught the bug playing football.

“I am very familiar with the community, very familiar with the football club and it is a club that I have always wanted to play for. It is a club that I would like to try and achieve success for and that is the main reason that I am here.

“But I’m not just here because I grew up in the area, I am here because I want to be successful and the one thing I want to do is achieve success with Walsall Football Club."

Flynn explained his new striker will give him a different option up front - and he thanked the club's hierarchy for getting a difficult deal over the line.

Flynn said: “Jamille is completely different to what we’ve currently got, he’s proven at this level, he’s got a promotion from this level.

“He will fit in with the squad, he works hard off the ball and gives us different dimension at the top of the pitch.

“He’s a real handful. Once he gets up and running and training with the group, he’s only going to be a huge asset for us for not just for this season but for next season too.

“I’ve got a fantastic relationship with him, have always kept in touch with him and I’m very pleased to have been able to bring him into the football club.

“I’d like to thank Trivela, Leigh Pomlett, Stef Gamble and Dan Mole for their assistance in getting this deal over the line. It’s not been straight-forward.

"I was hopeful of this deal going through earlier than it has done but Forest Green were helpful in the process too so thank you to them."