Bury manager Alan Knill is delighted to have completed the signing of his main summer transfer target by snapping up defender Efe Sodje.

The 35-year-old - who spent time on loan at Gigg Lane last season - finally put pen to paper on a two-year deal on Thursday after having his contract at League Two rivals Gillingham terminated by mutual consent.

And Knill told the club's official website: "It has been a long time trying to get him here but obviously we are delighted, he was a big influence when he came last year, on and off the pitch the crowd liked him and the players liked him, we're just delighted that we have someone of his stature coming to us.

"It has been pretty difficult to try and get him out of Gillingham but we managed to with the help of obviously his agent and Sodje himself, he is coming here.

"He came in last year, he's aggressive, everybody knows who's playing against him that they know they've been in the game, we are delighted.He obviously enjoyed it so much that he decided to come here.

"He's massive, really the main one I wanted to sign and it has been going on for such a long time, it's been on it's been off, other things have got in the way, we kept chipping away and eventually it's done."