OFFRANDE Zanzala will give Newport County AFC a ‘different dynamic’ up front after the Exiles fought off competition to sign the striker, believes manager James Rowberry.

The 25-year-old heads to Rodney Parade on a free transfer after the last season of his contract at Barrow was cancelled by mutual consent.

The Congolese striker scored five goals in 27 games for the Bluebirds before spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Exeter City, scoring twice when helping the Grecians win promotion to League One.

He came through the ranks at Derby County and has had spells with Stevenage, Chester and Accrington Stanley, Crewe and Carlisle.

Zanzala is the third forward to sign for County this summer after Will Evans was signed from Cymru Premier club Bala and Chanka Zimba was brought in on loan from Cardiff City to join Lewis Collins.

South Wales Argus: County new boy Offrande ZanzalaCounty new boy Offrande Zanzala

“I am delighted, Offrande will be a brilliant signing for us," said Rowberry. "We worked hard on this one as a club to get this done, fighting off some really strong competition for him.

“He gives us different dynamic to our game with his physicality, power and ball-playing ability.

“Offrande gives us the running ability in behind, the physicality to link play when we need to go a little bit more direct but also the ability to fit our style of play when around the edge of the box.

“On the other side of it, he can press from the front and works really hard. We are really excited to work with him.”

Dom Telford and Courtney Baker-Richardson scored 49 per cent of County’s league goals last season but have both left the club.

Rowberry is confident that Zanzala & Co, regardless of their track records, can fill the boots of the last season’s first-choice pair.

“I feel that with how we play, whoever we have up front in a two will get opportunities,” he said.

“With the amount of chances to shoot that we create, the amount of crosses that we put in and our expected goals, they will get chances to score.

“The hardest bit in football is creating the opportunities and the second hardest part is scoring them and that’s what we have got to do.”

Zanzala is the club’s sixth signing after Evans, Zimba, centre-back Declan Drysale (Coventry) and midfielders Sam Bowen (Cardiff) and Aaron Wildig (Morecambe).

Current County senior squad
Goalkeepers: Nick Townsend, Joe Day.
Full-backs: Cameron Norman, Aaron Lewis, Harrison Bright.
Central defenders: Mickey Demetriou, James Clarke, Priestley Farquharson, Declan Drysdale.
Defender/midfielders: Scot Bennett, Matty Dolan.
Midfield: Robbie Willmott, Sam Bowen, James Waite, Aaron Wildig.
Forwards: Lewis Collins, Will Evans, Chanka Zimba, Offrande Zanzala.