Jack Paxman left Ebbsfleet for Eastbourne in order to be the main man.

The 29-year-old midfielder had three spells on loan at Braintree, Dover and Worthing last season after a pre-season injury saw him always playing catch-up.

Although Paxman had a year left on his deal at Stonebridge Road, the chance to join Eastbourne and play a key role in their National League South promotion push was too good an opportunity to turn down.

“He had a very unfortunate season with us because he was injured in the beginning and it took him a long time to get going,” said Ebbsfleet boss Dennis Kutrieb.

“The rest of the squad were already hitting the ground running so it was tough for him to make his way.

“He’s not a kid anymore, where you can say stay with us and be patient as you have so many years to play football, like a Franklin Domi for example. Even if he wouldn’t play, I’d always tell him just to be patient but with Paxman he’s in a different stage of his career.

“He wants to play, he needs to play and be a main man. Everyone who knows him knows if he is the main man then he will run the show for you, but if he’s not the main man then he’s not feeling very comfortable and he’ll just be a squad player then you won’t get the best out of him.”

Kutrieb will miss working with Paxman but feels the player has made the right decision at this time of his career.

“It was clear for us that if something came up then we were open-minded to talks because I don’t want to have a player who isn’t happy,” added Kutrieb.

“He wasn’t happy and that’s pretty normal. He went on loan three times, to Dover, Braintree and Worthing.

“Obviously, anyone saying a player who went out three times is happy would just be a lie. He was always professional, he was always in a good mood and a good player for us.

“We would have given him chances in pre-season again but the chances of him being the main man in the upcoming season were pretty normal, he would need to beat a few players to be the main man and that was the challenge for him.

“I said to him that he can be a squad player because I love you as a player and you’re still a good fit for me. But if you want to be a main man and want to get minutes, and want to make an impact then if something comes up that is interesting for you then let me know.

“Eastbourne have a very interesting time in front of them, they’re going full-time and they wanted to have him as a main man. For me it was pretty clear that he can and should grab this opportunity, even if we don’t like it in terms of working together because he would love to work with me and I would love to work with him.

“With his age and what he has experienced so far in football, he wants to be a main man and that’s totally understandable. He will play a good season, I’m very positive. If he plays a good season for them then I’m happy as he’s made the right decision.”