Barnsley have signed a potential 'cult hero' in striker Mamadou Thiam, but were unsure yesterday if the striker could make his debut tomorrow.

The 22-year-old joined from French club Dijon, for a reported £900,000 fee, after impressing on loan to second tier Clermont last season. He was not registered in time for Saturday's game against Ipswich – when he was paraded to the fans – or Tuesday's win over Nottingham Forest. The Reds were hoping to clear him for Sheffield United tomorrow, while he has picked up a minor ankle injury.

Head coach Paul Heckingbottom has been impressed by the attitude of the Senegal under 20s player, adding: "He knows all about the town. He is really wanting to throw himself into what Barnsley is all about, not just the football club, but the town itself. If he can do the business on the pitch then we will have a cult hero.

"His representatives and family really want him to live locally and they are mentioning community work. When you hear them speak like that, they have obviously considered everything to do with the move and not a lot of people do that. Most clubs in this league have a translator right next to the coach but we don't have that so we will provide him with English lessons and work a lot with him one-on-one in the afternoons on his tactics. He knows we don't expect him to get it right straight away and we will keep working with him.

"It's not a gamble because the money we paid is nothing like what the other French boys are joining Championship clubs for, although it is big money for us, and he's coming in on wages which we can afford."

Heckingbottom said it was a 'big relief' to bring in another striker to complement Tom Bradshaw and teenager Ike Ugbo. He said: "He's different to what we have already got. He can drop deep and link with the midfielders. He's five foot ten and has a low centre of gravity. He will shoot well with both feet. He's quite explosive and, if we can get him in the box more often, then I think we can improve his goal record. He's played out wide a lot because in France most teams play a 4-3-3.

"Towards the end of last season he played up front which is his prefered position and that's where we want him."