Shrewsbury Town miss out on summer target Iwan Morgan who joins League Two rivals
Shrewsbury Town boss Gavin Cowan opened up on his chase for Iwan Morgan this summer.
Boss Gavin Cowan said he worked tirelessly to try to bring popular loanee Iwan Morgan back to Shrewsbury Town.
Morgan completed a permanent move to Salop’s League Two rivals Grimsby Town on Friday. The 20-year-old Wales youth international has signed a three-year deal with the Mariners.
The move comes after Shrewsbury spent much of the summer pursuing a deal to bring Morgan back to the Croud Meadow on loan following his successful spell during the second half of last season, when he became a firm fans’ favourite.
Speaking on Friday morning before Morgan’s move to Grimsby was confirmed, Cowan explained his efforts to re-sign the youngster.
“I’ve been working my absolute backside to try and get him in the building,” he told the Shropshire Star.
“If Iwan was going to be taking up another loan, I think we’d be right in the mix and probably favourites. But in the last year of his contract, they (Brentford) may have had some bids. I feel like he may be going somewhere permanently.
“I’ve had numerous conversations with Brentford. They’ve been incredible in terms of communicating.
“Iwan and his agent have been an absolute pleasure to talk to and discuss. Iwan would love to come back here.
“But also, we’ve got to appreciate that if Brentford have got an agenda and Iwan has a place that feels like he can go permanently, then unfortunately we’re not in that market to be able to pay that sort of fee.
“So, yeah, a bit disappointing. I have held out and missed out on a lot of players to try and get him in. He’s very appreciative of that, as is the agent.
“But listen, it’s a calculated risk on my part. I missed out on this occasion, but I think our fans will be appreciative of the fact that I held out so long and went for a player that we all know could have benefited us. But it is what it is.”
Morgan scored three goals as he helped Salop preserve their League Two status last season.
Town had hoped to re-sign the forward and held discussions with Brentford over a deal that would have seen him return to the Croud Meadow on loan.
Instead, he has joined Grimsby on a permanent deal and is under contract until the summer of 2029.
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