Salop social: Brian should write a book on Shrewsbury’s transfer dealings!

Steve Jones

After admitting he could write a book about the most recent transfer window, I’m sure plenty of Shrewsbury fans would be interested in reading Brian Caldwell’s Salopian memoirs – and not just from last month.

It would also provide a much-needed income stream for the club. Don’t rule it out, Brian!

While it wasn’t the perfect window – always hard, even more so in January – it was far from a disaster.

The new arrivals who have been available have impressed and gone straight into the starting XI, which highlights the quality they bring.

Yes, the team is a little light in some areas, but it presents an opportunity for the likes of Donald Love, Ryan Sears and Rekeil Pyke.

We have yet to see the best of Pyke, owing to injury, but the other two have previously provided a good option at right-back.

Curtis Main will also offer something different, and a chance for the ball to stick in the final third for longer.

It’s also a chance to atone for THAT miss. His career since then suggests he’s improved.

Nathan Rowden

The January transfer window is all important to those clubs who have changed managers in the first half of a season.

It’s a chance for the new boss to get the players they think will improve the squad, while offloading those that aren’t working out.

There were a number of fans left rather disappointed at the end of the window, with a few exciting looking deals ending up falling by the way side for whatever reason.

This was compounded by a defeat to Crewe, leaving a number of fans questioning what might have been.

I would urge people to relax a bit. Clearly the club wanted a couple of deals to happen, but that doesn’t mean they hadn’t already done some great work earlier in the window.

Despite only winning one of the four games since the club’s return to playing after the Covid-19 outbreak, the performances have been pretty good.

Harry Chapman has been the stand-out signing and in the Peterborough game showed what he was really about. More performances like that and everyone will be wondering what the fuss was about.

Other additions of Pennington, Ogbeta and Davis look to be decent bits of business, and let’s hope Curtis Main can chip in on the goalscoring front.

The key aim this year is survival, and this is a squad and a management team more than capable of that and are well on their way.

I believe this January was about setting the foundations for something much more exciting to come. So let’s all get on board and enjoy the ride.

Chris Hudson

Transfer deadline day was a frustrating one for Shrewsbury fans, who were left feeling like a losing contestant on Bullseye. “Look what you could have won!” but instead of dwelling on the ones that got away, I think it is worth shining a light on a couple of big success stories.

Steve Cotterill proved that the early bird really does capture the worm, announcing the capture of Harry Chapman on New Year’s Eve, a day before the transfer window officially opened.

Chapman has added another dimension to our attacking play. He scored two wonderful goals to sink Peterborough, and could have had another against Crewe.

It’s a shame he’s only here on loan. A free agent in the summer, we may bid to keep him but you’d guess that if he maintains current form, we’ll have some serious competition.

One player who will be here next season is Nathaneal Ogbeta. The teenager was a surprise addition from Manchester City but he already looks like an astute piece of business.

So good has Ogbeta been in his first 180 minutes of League football, that I’m actually wondering how the Citizens have let him go. He looks the kind of player they could have sent out on loan a couple of times before selling for a seven-figure fee to a Championship club. Their loss is certainly our gain.

So the verdict on our transfer business? Super, smashing, great!