Within the past two days, Colchester United have welcomed new signing Will Goodwin through the door on loan from Oxford United as well as young centre midfielder Ben Perry on a free from Nottingham Forest, whilst renewing the contract of 2024/25 captain Tom Flanagan as fellow centre back Ben Goodliffe departed for local rival Southend United in the National League, and it seems like there is much more to come!
Starting things off with the arrival of Will Goodwin, who joins on loan from Oxford United, following an unsuccessful 2024/25 campaign that was hampered by injuries. Since signing for Oxford from Cheltenham Town in January 2024, he’s made just 11 appearances for The Yellows, scoring a single goal versus Northampton Town in February 2024.
A loan spell followed in January 2025 to Wigan Athletic in order to return to regular first team action, as Goodwin struggled to find a way into Oxford’s starting lineup after their promotion to the second tier, but was hit by a quad injury that kept him out of action for the remainder of the season, making just 8 total appearances for The Latics.
Prior to this, Goodwin came through the youth ranks at Stoke City after joining from Chester FC and spent time on loan at Hartlepool United and Torquay United, before making the permeant move to Gloucestershire, joining Cheltenham Town.
How will Goodwin Benefit Colchester?
This move benefits both the player and the club, with Goodwin having a full pre-season schedule to prepare and recover before the 25/26 campaign kicks off and Colchester United gaining a top-quality striker for League Two.
Colchester were looking for a physical and aerially dominant striker to replace the likely departing Samson Tovide, who has admirers both higher up in the EFL and abroad, to provide competition for newly arrived youngster Jaden Williams and Goodwin provides just that, being in the top 10% of arial duels won compared to every other EFL striker.
Manager Danny Cowley stated in an interview with BBC Essex: “Will is a boy we’ve been watching for a long time, and I remember seeing him play for Torquay, and thinking ‘wow’.” Cowley later noted Goodwin had offers from some League One teams, but that “he’s chosen to join what he thinks will be a top team in League Two.”
Young Midfielder Ben Perry Joins
Joining on a small fee from Nottingham Forest’s academy, Ben Perry joins the U’s following an incredibly successful loan spell at Northampton Town in League One, making 17 appearances for The Cobblers after joining in the January transfer window.
This seems likely to be Cowley’s replacement for Jamie McDonnell, who influenced Perry’s move through their Nottingham Forest links, as revealed in his first interview with the club stating: “He said how, from the start, he felt really welcome by everyone at the club and was speaking about how good the fans were every game. After speaking to him, it really helped me with my decision.”
Perry will likely challenge fellow new signing Dominic Gape and young academy graduate Milton Oni (who impressed in his game time before picking up an ACL injury) for the CDM role in Cowley’s 4-2-3-1 system.
Flanagan Pens New Deal With The U’s
Off the back of being the captain in Colchester United’s best defensive season in years, Flanagan has put the pe to the paper and joined for another campaign. The 33-year-old featured in 41 out of 46 League Two games, captaining the side to keep 21 clean sheets, the joint most in League Two’s regular season with AFC Wimbledon.
Although being slightly mistake prone, giving away 2 penalties and a few errors leading to chances, this new deal makes a lot of sense, given prior to this, Colchester only had a single contracted centre-back to the club (Jack Tucker)
Manager Danny Cowley stated in an interview with BBC Essex:”Tom [Flanagan] is really important to us, he’s the captain of the group with a lot of experience and knows how to influence those around him to make them better.
Goodliffe Makes Switch To Essex Rivals
Centre-Back Ben Goodliffe made the permanent switch to National League side Southend United, following a successful loan spell during the second half of last campaign, where he made 23 appearances for The Shrimpers, scoring on 3 occassions, including the playoff semifinal versus Forest Green Rovers.
Goodliffe failed to make an impact at Colchester United, despite scoring a double on the opening weekend of 24/25 in the opening ten minutes, falling behind Kelleher, Donnelly and Flanagan who formed a solid partnership together, ending up making just 14 appearances after making his £50,000 move from Sutton United.
Questions surround the money involved in the fee, with Colchester United stating it was for an undisclosed fee, whilst Southend claiming it was a free transfer, with Kevin Maher stating in an interview : “He’s someone we know and if you look at our form from when he came in (last season) and how we moved up the league, he ended the season strongly.
More To Come This Week?
Four Colchester players remain in talks over new deals at the club, in Lyle Taylor, Frankie Terry, Kane Vincent-Young and Mandela Egbo, so decisions are likely to be made ahead of The U’s opening pre-season fixture against Maldon & Tiptree this Saturday. Additionally, Lyle Taylor has been spotted on numerous occasions on social media training alongside the Colchester first team squad, alluding to a potential new deal in the upcoming days.
