Shrewsbury Town complete loan signing of Brentford goalkeeper Matthew Cox
Shrewsbury Town have completed the signing of goalkeeper Matthew Cox on loan from Brentford.
The 22-year-old becomes Salop's fourth addition of the January transfer window and arrives following Elyh Harrison's return to parent club Manchester United.
Cox is a product of the Chelsea and AFC Wimbledon academies and began his professional career with the latter in 2020, before moving to Brentford a year later. He has joined Shrewsbury on loan until the end of the season.
Salop boss Michael Appleton said: "Matt is someone we’ve been aware of for a while.
"He’s got a great pedigree and a strong background in terms of footballing education. He’s good with his feet, has impressive distribution and we’re excited to bring him in.
"He is going to be able to challenge Will for a place in the starting 11, which is healthy for both players and the squad."
Speculation over Harrison’s return to Old Trafford emerged at the start of the January transfer window, although the 19-year-old remained with Salop until this week.
Harrison made his final appearance for Shrewsbury in last weekend’s FA Cup defeat at Premier League Wolves. It was his first outing for the club since September, with Will Brook enjoying a strong run of games between the posts in recent months.
Cox’s arrival follows the signing of midfielder Nick Freeman earlier this week, while Trey Ogunsuyi and Iwan Morgan have also joined during the window.
The goalkeeper has been capped by England at youth level and spent the 2023/24 season on loan at League One side Bristol Rovers, where he made 34 appearances.
He then joined Crawley Town on loan last season, but his spell was cut short after he suffered a torn hamstring during just his third appearance. The injury forced his return to Brentford for treatment and he did not feature again before the end of the League One campaign.
Cox returned to match action with Brentford B on 19 May 2025.
