Gadwin Springer joins Castleford from Catalans
Castleford Tigers have announced that they have signed young French prop Gadwin Springer from Catalans Dragons.
The 22-year-old has inked a one-and-a-half year deal which begins immediately. He will arrive in the UK on Monday to join up with his new team-mates.
“Gadwin has shown this season what a great prospect he is and we are delighted to have signed a quality young prop who we believe will be an outstanding player for Castleford,” said Tigers coach Daryl Powell.
“He is big strong and aggressive which are obviously key qualities for his position and the fact that we can bring him in now is a bonus and I look forward to working with him.”
Tigers CEO Steve Gill explained that the club had already signed Springer ready for next year, but decided to bring him over immediately when they heard he was available.
“We had initially signed Gadwin for the 2016-17 seasons, and when we heard that he could be available straight away, we moved pretty quickly to make it happen,” he said.
“I am sure Gadwin will become a crowd favourite and we are looking forward to his arrival in the UK on Monday,
“Getting Gadwin here sooner was made possible due to additional funds raised by the growing Tigers Daily Draw.
“I would like to thank everyone who’s a member for helping to make it happen, it’s a true thank you to our fans and shows our commitment to pushing on towards a top four Super League spot.
“I would also like to thank the Catalans Dragons for agreeing to release Gadwin early and the professional way they went about their business. Thanks also go to our board of directors for supporting us with this decision.”
Springer has made thee Super League appearances and scored one try so far in his Catalans career, after joining them from Toulouse in 2012.
Catalans have confirmed that they received a transfer fee for the player, and they were disappointed to see the player leave.
“We are of course disappointed with his decision to leave the club,” Dragons CEO Christophe Jouffret said.
“He has a great potential and could have a promising future.
“We invested a lot on his development and allowed him to become a professional player and we regret that he did not accept the good contract we offered to him.
“However, we wish him all the best with his new club.”