YYOURI Djorkaeff can rest easy tonight in the knowledge that his new team-mates are interested in his talent rather than his temperament.

The Frenchman, who is set to make his Wanderers' debut at Southampton tomorrow, has been the target for volleys of criticism from the players and manager he left behind at Kaiserslautern.

But Wanderers' club captain Mike Whitlow has assured the World Cup winner that he will be welcomed in the Reebok dressing room.

"We're not bothered about what's gone on before," the seasoned defender insisted. "When he comes in here he starts with a clean slate. I can't ever see him being a problem here.

"Hopefully he will just come in and work his magic for us."

A happy dressing room has been one of the key factors in Wanderers' success story under Sam Allardyce but a high turnover of players - Djorkaeff's fellow countryman Mario Espartero was the 12th player to be drafted in since last season's Play-off triumph - has tested the strength of the highly-cherished team spirit.

But Whitlow, who missed training yesterday with an ear infection, is confident that the foundation is strong and dismisses the suggestion that five new arrivals in six weeks could upset the applecart.

"The Gaffer does his homework before he brings them in and, to be fair, we've never had a bad egg here," he maintains. "Everybody's mixed in well.

"There are fall-outs at every club you go to but nothing's said until somebody moves on and it doesn't really need to be said because we are all in the job to be successful."

Coincidentally, Espartero arrived with a bit of a reputation himself, having had disciplinary problems at Metz. But Allardyce, who enjoyed success in a team of misfits when he played at Preston late in his career, relishes the challenge.

"All the players we get are the misfits at other clubs," he said. "that's why we get them ... the misfits, the nomads!

"But we've already got our very own French Connection with Bruno N'Gotty and Gerald Forschelet here so that will help Youri and Super Mario settle in."