Burton Albion have signed the MK Dons midfielder Will Collar on a season-long loan, giving head coach Gary Bowyer a reinforcement ahead of Saturday's League One opener against Stevenage.
The 29-year-old is Burton's fifth signing of the summer. He arrives days after Bowyer said publicly that the club needed "help" and "more bodies," with only "12 or 13" fit players available to train in the buildup to the new season. The League One side had signed just five players this summer after 19 left following last season's escape from relegation, leaving Bowyer with a squad of fewer than 20.
Bowyer said his own influence over incoming transfers has been more limited than in previous windows. Requests now go through sporting director Richard Dorman, with owners Nordic Football Group reverting to the data-driven recruitment model they first installed when they took over the club, a process that produced a 23-player recruitment drive in the summer of 2024 before Bowyer's own arrival to lead a relegation rescue mission.
Collar arrives with promotion pedigree. He made 26 appearances in all competitions last season as MK Dons won promotion, and had twice gone up with Stockport County earlier in his career.