The hunt for a left-back is seemingly over for the Chairboys, as Scottish defender Daniel Harvie switches across from local rivals MK Dons. The former Scotland youth international becomes Matt Bloomfield’s seventh signing of the summer window so far.
The new data-driven focus around Wycombe Wanderers helped Bloomfield and his team identify Harvie as a potential target, thanks to his versatility and top performances during his five-year stint in Milton Keynes.
The Scotsman began his career with Aberdeen, playing five times for the Dons before heading out to Dumbarton on loan. He would make his mo Scottish Championship permanent permanent lying year, joining Ayr United, where the defender would become a firm fixture in the Honest Men’s starting squad. After winning Ayr United’s player of the year in 2019/20. Harvie caught the eye of former Wanderer Russell Martin, who was the manager of League One side MK Dons.
Martin brought the young fullback to Buckinghamshire in the summer of 2020, for an undisclosed fee. During this time, he was featuring for Scotland’s Under-21 side regularly, earning 14 caps for the young Scots. During his four seasons at Stadium MK, Harvie would go on to make 166 appearances in all competitions, scoring 10 times and also chipping in with 10 assists.
The 25-year-old was a part of the MK Dons side which finished third in League One in 2021-22, securing an outstanding 89 points which would’ve usually been enough to see the Dons automatically promoted. Of course, their playoff campaign came to an end at the hands of the Chairboys, and the Dons were relegated to League Two the following season.
Harvie featured 40 times for MK last season, scoring three goals as the Dons made the League Two playoffs. Eventual winners, Crawley Town thumped the Buckinghamshire side 8-1 on aggregate, with the Scot featuring in both fixtures.
Writer’s View:
Left-back is a position that many Wanderers fans feel needed reinforcement, going into this summer’s window. Wycombe were left without a natural left-back towards the tail end of last season, this saw loanee Nigel Lonwijk and midfielder Luke Leahy having to cover in that position. Whilst Leahy is certainly capable of playing there, Matt Bloomfield has made it no secret that he brought Luke to the club to play in midfield.
Harvie is a great piece of business, as the Chairboys now have a natural option at left-back who belongs to the club, something they didn’t have following Joe Jacobson’s departure. The 25-year-old is yet to reach the prime years of his career and has already been an integral component in a successful team at League One level.
His ability to chip in with a goal or assist means he will be an important asset in Wycombe’s build-up, as well as the defensive unit. Having played over 100 games at League One level, Harvie is vastly experienced at the relatively young age of 25, and will only progress as time goes by.
Versatility is something Matt Bloomfield is very keen on, signing players who are comfortable playing plenty of different positions. Harvie fits this bill, having played 88 times as a left midfielder and 28 times as a center-back. This means that whilst he is most likely to feature as a left-back, Harvie could be utilized on the left side of a back three, or deployed from the bench in a more attacking role.
