Blues midfielder Idris El Mizouni has completed his £400,000 transfer to Oxford United.
TWTD disclosed that the U’s were seeking the once-capped Tunisian international at the end of last month, and on Friday stated that the Championship newcomers were closing in on the deal.
“I’m overjoyed to join the group. “It’s a solid club that has advanced to the Championship, and it was very appealing to me,” the Paris-born schemer told his new team’s official website.
Idris El Mizouni on joining Oxford United 🎙️
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“It’s a team that enjoys playing football, and I want to be a part of it and progress with the club.
“I want to prove myself as a player and show everyone that I can compete at this level. More significantly, I want to help the club realize its goals.”
Des Buckingham, Oxford’s head coach, added: “Idris has a lot of characteristics that fit into the profile we were seeking for to continue improving our midfield dynamics.
“He has demonstrated over the last few seasons his great attributes that will allow us to play in a variety of ways, while also being another young player with enormous future potential.
“I’m delighted to work with him and continue to assist enhance his skill set as we progress through the Championship.
“It’s fantastic that we have brought him in at a time where he can join the group over here in Spain which will help him adapt to our environment quickly as we prepare for the first of the upcoming pre-season games.”
Ed Waldron, head of recruitment at the Kassam Stadium, said: “We’ve been tracking Idris for a while, and it’s great that we’ve been able to add him to the group.
“Idris played against us twice last season and was excellent in both games. These games gave us a good idea of what he could give, and when combined with substantial effort behind the scenes, we saw Idris as a player who could help our club.
“We are very pleased with the work we have done in our midfield area and we feel Idris will help develop our on-pitch success, as well as our already existing culture at the club.”
Town recently exercised the one-year option on El Mizouni’s contract, but the midfielder appeared set to join a Championship or League One team this summer.
Leyton Orient, where El Mizouni has spent the last two seasons on loan, wanted to bring him back to Brisbane Road but were priced out of the market.
The 23-year-old, who has previously had loan spells at Cambridge United and Grimsby Town, joined the Town youth set-up following a trial in 2017 and has made 16 starts and 10 substitute appearances, scoring two goals.
Oxford, who already have former Blues Greg Leigh and Kyle Edwards in their team, are also thought to be interested in signing Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi on loan.
