[themaclad]

Gillingham have brought in two new loan men on deadline day, Andy Smith from Hull City and Dominic Corness from Premier League leaders Liverpool - both on deals until the end of the season.

Liverpudlian midfielder Corness, 21, who can also play at left-back, is yet to make a first-team appearance, but has played regularly for the Reds' Under-21s.

Defender Smith, 23, has made one appearance for the Tigers this season, against Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup in August.

Smith came through the youth set-up at Hull and has made a total of seven appearances for the club, as well as spending time on loan at Salford City, Grimsby Town and Cheltenham Town.

That takes the Gills' total of signings in the winter transfer window to five.

Gillingham, now managed by another Liverpudlian John Coleman, have tumbled to 17th in League Two, nine points clear of trouble, having not won in eight games since 14 December - a run of only three points out of a possible 24.

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Colchester United have opened contract talks with forward Lyle Taylor who finished the season as their top scorer.

The former Charlton and Nottingham Forest striker scored 13 goals for the Essex club as they finished 10th in League Two.

Defenders Fiacre Kelleher, Tom Flanagan, Mandela Egbo, Kane Vincent-Young and Frankie Terry are also in discussions over their futures with their current deals due to expire in the summer.

"We are working really hard to negotiate new contracts for Tom, Lyle, Manny, Fiacre, Kane and Frankie," head coach Danny Cowley told the club website., external

"I know all of the boys are keen to stay and we would love them to be with us next season and beyond."

The U's have taken up options to retain the services of forwards Samson Tovide and Owura Edwards, goalkeeper Tom Smith and full-back Ellis Iandolo.

Youngsters Alfie Bendle and Hakeem Sandah who both featured in the EFL Trophy have been released.

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Colchester United have signed forward Jaden Williams following his release by Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

The 20-year-old made four EFL Trophy appearances for the Spurs under-21 team, three of them last season when he scored from the spot in a penalty shoot-out win over Bristol Rovers.

He is Colchester's first signing of the summer transfer window and the club say he has signed a "long-term contract".

"He is a young player that likes to play as a centre forward," U's boss Danny Cowley said.

"He has real pace and loves to run off the back of defenders. He also presses with aggression and is really team orientated."

Williams joined Tottenham's academy at the age of six and has helped the club win age group trophies.

He scored a hat-trick against Blackburn Rovers in Premier League 2 in 2024-25 and said: "I feel ready, and I've been wanting to play men's football for quite some time.

"I feel like Colchester is the best opportunity for me to develop and be one of the best."

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Colchester United have signed midfielder Dominic Gape following his departure from Shrewsbury Town.

Gape, made 16 appearances for Salop last season as the club finished bottom of League One, ending their 10-year stay in the third tier.

The former Southampton trainee has played at every level of the English professional pyramid, from the Premier League with Saints to seven seasons at Wycombe, helping the club go from League Two up to the Championship.

He also had a 10-game spell in the National League with Eastleigh in the first half of last term before his move to Shrewsbury.

Gape is Colchester's second signing of the summer following the arrival of forward Jaden Williams from Tottenham.

"Coming through at Wycombe, I was really lucky to have a great group of senior pros to help guide me," Gape said., external

"Now I feel like it's my turn to be that senior pro, to offer guidance and show the young lads what it means to be a professional and to be a winner."

The length of Gape's deal has not been disclosed.

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Colchester United have signed defender Jack Tucker on an undisclosed deal after the expiration of his contract at fellow League Two club MK Dons.

The 25-year-old played 10 games on loan at the U's during the 2024-25 season.

Tucker begin his career at Gillingham before moving to MK Dons where he played over 60 league games.

Speaking to the Colchester club website, external, Tucker said: "I really enjoyed my time here before, from January onwards, and I'm happy to have cemented my future here for the next couple of years."

Tucker was part of the U's side who finished 10th in League Two last season, three points off the play-off places.

"There are a lot of lads still here from last season which is great to see. When you have a successful team, it's always good to keep that core together. I'm just really keen to get going now," he added.

Tucker becomes Colchester boss Danny Cowley's third signing of the summer.

[themaclad]

Colchester United have secured the season-long loan signing of Oxford United striker Will Goodwin.

The 23-year-old has struggled for game time since his January 2024 move to the Kassam Stadium from Cheltenham Town and spent the second half of last season on loan at Wigan, making eight appearances.

Goodwin made just three Championship appearances for Oxford last season and has scored one goal in 11 matches since joining the club.

Meanwhile, the U's have extended the contract of captain Tom Flanagan.

The 33-year-old defender joined the club last summer on a one-year deal and made 45 appearances in all competitions last season.

"Tom [Flanagan] is really important to us," manager Danny Cowley told BBC Essex.

"He's the captain of the group with a lot of experience and knows how to influence those around him to make them better.

"Will is a boy we've been watching for a long time, and I remember seeing him play for Torquay, and thinking 'wow'."

Cowley said 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."

The U's boss has now made five additions to his squad ahead of the new League Two campaign.

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Colchester United have signed left-back Josh Powell from Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan deal.

The 20-year-old is yet to make his competitive debut for the Forest first-team but appeared during the club's pre-season tour of Portugal last month.

He has made 92 appearances in the club's youth academy sides, scoring 10 times, and was part of the squad which won the Premier League International Cup last season.

"I'm really excited. When I first heard about the opportunity to come here, it was something I was definitely interested in," Powell told Colchester's club website.

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Colchester United have signed defender Jack Baldwin after he left Northampton Town.

The 32-year-old made 24 appearances for the Cobblers after arriving from then-Scottish Premiership side Ross County last summer on a two-year deal.

Baldwin moves to the U's after agreeing to mutually terminate his Northampton contract a year early and has signed a 12-month deal.

The former Peterborough and Sunderland centre-back is expected to be in the matchday squad for Colchester's League Two fixture at Oldham on Saturday.

Bladwin's arrival is the second signing made by U's boss Danny Cowley this week, after left-back Josh Powell joined on a season-long loan from Premier League club Nottingham Forest.