Done Deals Daily #12
From Championship feast to Championship famine – it's all about League One and League Two in today's bulletin.
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Brandon Cooper (CB) - [Swansea - Leyton Orient] - Undisclosed
Cooper has been with Swansea since he was a six-year-old cygnet. Now, the large, imposing centre-back spreads those strong, dangerous wings by joining loan club Leyton Orient on a two-and-a-half-year deal.
Fresh off the back of a four-game suspension for violent conduct, Cooper may have lost his place in the Orient backline for now due to the form of Omar Beckles and Dan Happe. Four clean sheets in a row is huge ‘don’t change a winning formula territory’. But it surely won't be long before he's back in the side.
Tall, physically strong and comfortable on the ball, this is a no-brainer for Leyton Orient due to his age and profile. For Cooper, it's an opportunity to play for an upwardly mobile club for a quality manager, and make his way back to the Championship in time.
RATING: LOVE IT
Rhys Williams (CB) - [Liverpool - Port Vale] - Loan
Rhys Williams has had a strange career. Thrust into the Liverpool first team during THAT defensive injury crisis, he started in victories against Spurs and Manchester United. But subsequent loans at Swansea, Blackpool and Aberdeen – where he spent the first half of this season – have been unsuccessful.
Having shaken off a pre-season injury, the centre-back didn’t play a single minute of competitive football for Aberdeen, nor even make it into a matchday squad for a league game – and it wasn’t just down to fitness, either, because he was named on the (larger) UEFA subs’ bench for all of the club’s Europa Conference League fixtures. There’s ‘strugged to make an impact’ and then there’s ‘five months without even making it to the bench’.
What exactly is his level, even? Williams turns 23 in a couple of weeks, and this feels like a make-or-break loan for him.
RATING: ON THE FENCE
Chem Campbell (AM/W) - [Wolves - Wycombe] - Loan
After a spell with Charlton that contained some good moments, but only in flashes, Campbell has been diverted back to Wycombe, where he played around 900 minutes in the second half of last season. Campbell is an out-to-in winger best played off the left; decent with both feet, he likes to receive the ball in half-spaces and drive forward. The 21-year-old is also an impressive size and build for a player of his age and position.
Campbell is a much more dynamic option than Kieran Sadlier, who is currently playing on the left for Wycombe, so this feels a solid acquisition in the short-term for a club that could do with improving their attacking quality. The one-time Wales youth international has a long-term contract with Wolves, for whom he shone at various age levels, but is yet to prove consistent quality at senior level.
With a bit of luck and a consistent run of games, it would be no surprise if this is his time to kick on.
RATING: LIKE IT
Louie Moulden (GK) - [Wolves - Northampton] - Loan
Did you hear about the goalkeeper who registered five league assists in half a season?
Nope, we've never heard the like, either. But Louie Moulden did exactly that in this National League campaign, on loan at Rochdale from Wolves. Long, flat, accurate kicks seem to be his modus operandi. What fun.
The 22-year-old Manchester City academy product will be supporting – or perhaps challenging – Northampton stopper Lee Burge, after Newcastle recalled Max Thompson, who deputised well during Burge’s absence. The Rochdale fans seem heartbroken – you never like to lose one of your most creative players…
RATING: ON THE FENCE
Kyle Edwards (LW) [Unattached - Oxford] Free
Edwards was on loan at Oxford from Ipswich but picked up an injury that has him sidelined until April. Having been recalled last week, he was subsequently released from his contract which enables him to rejoin Yellows, with them regaining a loan spot. Neat.
It's a testament to what he was able to show in 284 minutes of football that Oxford are happy to commit to signing him and supporting him through his rehab. Edwards is an exceptional dribbler and has a powerful shot with both feet. He was a regular substitute for Ipswich last season in their League One promotion -- 29 times he came off the bench, compared to three starts!
He's also 26 next month, and the most league minutes he's played in one season is 1,054. Edwards needs to get fit, stay fit and truly establish himself. Everyone seems happy with this one.
RATING: ON THE FENCE
Ged Garner [Barrow - Morecambe] Loan
Morecambe's 13-goal top scorer Michael Mellon was recalled by Burnley, so a striker was — *clears throat* — A BIG NEED. Barrow have been linked with former Morecambe hitman Cole "The Goal" Stockton, so this may be a move to free up budget and a squad slot.
Garner was their record signing when he joined this time last year. When fit, he offered energy and work rate, but only managed four league goals in 1,600 minutes. With their budgetary situation, a 'proven goalscorer' was unlikely, but the phrase itself means little in League Two recruitment. This is a deal that makes sense for all parties.
RATING: LIKE IT
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