MK Dons’ summer expenditure is well underway, with multiple big names and star players dropping down from divisions above to play under Paul Warne at Stadium MK for the 2025-26 campaign.
Dons have caught the eye with several transfers this window, with Bolton Wanderer’s Player of the Season Aaron Collins making the switch, alongside Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy to name a few.
Confirmed by the club’s official website, the latest arrival is William Collar, who made forty appearances for Stockport County in League One last season, scoring on eight occasions and playing a pivotal role throughout David Challinor’s successes with the Hatters.
Who is William Collar?
A product of Brighton and Hove Albion’s academy, the midfielder’s career kicked off with Hamilton Academical in 2019, where the midfielder scored a crucial goal against Hearts to keep the club above the relegation zone.
Following his former manager Simon Rusk, the midfielder signed for Stockport County halfway through the 2020-21 season.
While the midfielder’s reunion with Rusk was short-lived after the manager departed in October 2021, the arrival of David Challinor brought the midfielder’s career to life.
In the midfield, Collar was integral to a number of achievements from Stockport County, starring as the club lifted two promotions, making a League Two play-off final, and most recently a third-place finish in League One, which saw the Hatters eliminated by Leyton Orient on penalties.
Now signing for MK Dons, Collar will hope for another promotion charge, which he has been no stranger to over recent years.
William Collar to MK Dons
Joining a number of high-profile arrivals at the League Two club this year, the midfielder has recently won promotion out of the division with Stockport County and has been a mainstay in the starting lineup at Edgeley Park in his five years with the club.
Collar is a composed midfielder with a keen eye for goal, now with an excellent level of experience in League Two, and proven in League One after maintaining similar standards in the division last year.
He will partner the likes of Liam Kelly, Alex Gilbey, and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans in MK Dons’ midfield, who are all big names in the division in their own right.
This signing brings qualities both on and off the pitch, as Collar has proven quality both in and above the division in recent years, while he also adds to the plethora of EFL promotion experience present in the squad.
Upon Paul Warne’s arrival last season, the squad were quick to tighten up defensively, keeping four clean sheets in their last five fixtures.
While the Dons only scored one goal throughout this run, it was largely encouraging given the poor defensive record prior to the former Rotherham manager’s arrival.
Therefore, signings such as Collar, Collins, and Mendez-Laing are the profile that could fire MK Dons towards promotion next season, with goal-scoring a targeted area this summer.
What has been said?
On signing for MK Dons, the midfielder was quick to point out the exciting project underway:
“I’m really happy that it’s finally sorted, it’s been in the works for a while!
“I’m an attacking midfielder, I like to score goals, I like to create goals, and I’ll work hard for the team!”
“When I spoke to the manager, he outlined the project, it’s got a lot of potential! We want to win lots of games and I’m looking forward to a challenging season.
“If you look at the owners and the players they’ve recruited in the last few weeks, it’s just really exciting!”
Additionally, serial promotion-winning manager Paul Warne expressed his delight with the midfielder’s arrival, pointing out his qualities both on and off the field:
“Players like Will are hard to come by at this level. He’s obviously a fantastic footballer as I think anyone at Stockport County will tell you, but he’s also a strong character and has the chance to be a real leader for us in midfield.
“He scored goals in League One last season in a team that puts a lot of crosses into the box. He can arrive late and get his head on the ball which we’ll need.
“Having met with him I was really impressed, his understanding of his game is exceptional, he knows his strengths and where he wants to improve, and I’m sure we’ll be able to help him do just that.
“He’ll also add plenty of the pitch, which is just as important. I’m really pleased for him that he’ll be a part of the project this season and I’m looking forward to working with him.”