Shrewsbury Town sign Harry Chapman from Blackburn Rovers on loan until the end of the season
Midfielder Harry Chapman is Shrewsbury Town's first signing of the Steve Cotterill era having joined on loan form Blackburn Rovers.
The versatile midfielder arrives on a loan deal until the end of the season from the Championship outfit.
Chapman, 23, has made seven appearances for Rovers this season, including five in the Championship, but just one start, coming in the EFL Cup in August.
He can play in wide midfield positions or as a central attacking midfield option.
The Hartlepool-born midfielder is a product of the Middlesbrough academy and penned a two-and-a-half year deal with Blackburn after an impressive loan stint at Ewood Park.
He is a former England under-18 and under-20 international, having won eight caps for the latter between 2016 and 2017.
Boss Cotterill admitted that Chapman's ability to play in a couple of midfield roles makes him a positive option.
Cotterill said: "Harry Chapman is another young lad who will fit well into the group. Harry can play as a 10 and in both the wide areas.
"He's a player who gives us flexibility. He's dynamic and has done very well in the Championship previously. We are delighted to have him on board with the other lads in those areas."
Chapman, who has also enjoyed League One loans with Barnsley and Sheffield United, will have to bide his time in order to make his debut in blue and amber after Town's New Year League One fixture against Crewe Alexandra was postponed due to a second positive Covid-19 case in the Shrewsbury squad.
The gifted attacker has found regular Championship game time tough to come by since making his move to Lancashire permanent at the beginning of 2019.
He has, however, been a regular at under-23 level with Rovers’ second string. In 17 appearances for Blackburn’s under-23s, Chapman has showed his eye for goal having weighed in with seven goals and seven assists.
He showed his attacking qualities with a brace against Derby County’s under-23s last month.
Chapman was keen to take the chance of regular first-team football ahead of the expiration of his Ewood Park contract in the summer.
The Lancashire Telegraph reported that it was a ‘now or never’ period for the 23-year-old, who has not started a league game for his parent club since sealing the permanent switch.
Rovers reporter Rich Sharpe wrote recently: “Has he deserved more? For his good numbers at under-23s level, his performance levels haven’t always been warranting of more first-team minutes...Yet when he looks focused and switched on, he can be a difference-maker.”
Town are understood to have a done a deal for a second incoming ahead of the January transfer window officially opening tomorrow – as EFL offices remain closed on New Year’s Day.
The upcoming window is likely to be a busy one as Cotterill begins to put his stamp on the squad he inherited.
Loan players Marlon Fossey and Scott High have returned to their parent clubs and some permanent players could be moved on as the boss looks to plug gaps and add quality to his ranks.
