JUSTIN Edinburgh believes his recruitment of three players once worth a combined £500,000 could prove to be a masterstroke for the Exiles.

The ex-Spurs defender is no stranger to life in the fast lane of the Premier League and he’s made some eye-catching moves this summer.

Perhaps Newport fans would be forgiven for raising an eyebrow if back in May they’d been told the Exiles would sign a trio of players also recruited by three of English football’s most high profile managers.

But that’s exactly the case, Edinburgh already signing Jamie Stephens from Liverpool and Harry Worley, formerly with Chelsea.

The pair were signed by Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho respectively with triallist Jamie Edge a former six figure acquisition for Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger.

Edinburgh believes that the youngsters have a certain pedigree about them and explained his thinking over his summer acquisitions, having also signed Chris Zebroski and Adam Chapman.

“It’s not bad is it? To think that those great managers signed the players,” he said.

“Ultimately we believe that they’ve got very good pedigree and that sort of thing can be vital in little instances in games.

“As you saw in certain games last season, we just had that little bit of quality.”

Edinburgh feels the players who have had the tag of being ‘the next big thing’ have a point to prove, just like his other new signings.

Both Chapman and Zebroski have endured difficulties off the field.

“We’ve seen it with people already at the club like Pipey (David Pipe), wanting to put right things that have gone before can be a great incentive for a player,” he said.

“Players like Jamie Stephens and Harry Worley have had a different kind of pressure on them and things haven’t maybe always gone as they’d have liked.

“But they are eager and ambitious and want to prove they can play at a higher level. I like managing a player with something to prove, it provides a hunger to succeed.

“We are very happy with the business we’ve done this summer, it’s been very productive.”