Manager Paul Simpson spoke to us after the deal to sign Harrison Neal from Sheffield United was confirmed.
"I'm really pleased to get Harrison in," he said.
"He's a good, strong midfield player and I was really impressed with him last season on his loan to Barrow.
"He's got a good range of passing, he's got a bit of tenacity about him so he can win challenges and get around the pitch, and I think at a young age he's a really good player to bring in.
"He hasn't played as many games as he would have hoped during his loan at Stevenage, but that's probably a reflection of Stevenage doing so well," he continued.
"We've been speaking to Sheffield United for probably the last couple of months about him and as to what would happen, and thankfully we've managed to get a deal agreed.
"I'm sure he'll be a really good addition to the football club and I look forward to seeing him develop over the next couple of years."
The deal comes just four days into the transfer window - with Simpson praising the background work done prior to January as the club make a swift start on securing incomings.
"I think it's testament to the background work we've been doing," he admitted.
"He's a player who we really liked last season and did really well for Barrow and there were quite a few clubs interested in taking him on a permanent deal in this window.
"He's looked at what we're trying to do here as a football club and looked past the current league position and sees that there are some really exciting things ahead if we can secure our place in League 1 this season.
"It's a challenge he's really up for."
Neal has agreed a two-and-a-half year contract at Brunton Park, meaning there is plenty of time to grow during his time in Cumbria.
"I think when you're signing young players you've got to be able to give them that time to develop," said Simpson.
"We all know he's coming in to a bit of a tricky environment at the moment, but also an environment that's going through changes and improvements.
"I'm really hopeful and he's got that real promise about him that he could turn out to be a really good player for Carlisle United."