York City finalise Gash signing

York City have completed the signing of Ebbsfleet striker Michael Gash for £55,000 after the club's owners voted for the deal to go ahead.

The 22-year-old joins former Salisbury centre-back Djoumin Sangare, who has now agreed to sign for the Minstermen.

York manager Martin Foyle told BBC Radio York: "I had three strikers in mind [to bring in] at the start of the season, and all three have come off.

"It's a good piece of business, I still think he can play at a higher level."

Foyle will start the new campaign with last season's top scorer Richard Brodie, plus Gash, Richard Paquette and Michael Rankine.

"It's not about how many goals we score from our strikers," he added. "But how many goals we score from the team, and he can be the link.

"That [hold-up play] let us down time and time again last year so there's a bit of competition. Hopefully they'll put each other under pressure because that's what we need."

It's been the longest summer ever with such a turnaround of players, but it had to be done

Martin Foyle

The signing took six weeks to conclude, as Foyle had to negotiate with Ebbsfleet's owners, almost 2,500 subscribers to website MyFootballClub.

"It's something I wouldn't do again," Foyle added. "It was a complicated deal to start with, and there was a sell-on clause with Cambridge City [Gash's previous club] which was very, very complicated.

"Then the saga went on and on and on and every time I got a phone call I lost more interest, but I kept in touch with Michael, [telling him] I want you to come to York."

On Sangare, Foyle said: "He is a solid lad, he'll put his head in. He wants to play right-back and centre-half and that gives up options that we need."

With two weeks to go before the start of the season, the York boss has completed his squad rebuilding.

"It's been the longest summer ever with such a turnaround of players, but it had to be done and it's taken up a lot of time, so I feel like a holiday now."

Foyle will now take his new-look side into a pre-season home game against Rotherham on Tuesday.