[themaclad]

Cheltenham have signed teenage midfielder Joel Colwill from Cardiff City on a season-long loan.

The 19-year-old Bluebirds academy graduate has been with the club since he was six and made his first senior appearance last August in the Carabao Cup.

Colwill, who has also played for Wales Under-21s and whose brother Rubin also plays for Cardiff, was brought on as a substitute during two Championship games towards the end of last season.

"I'm really confident in my game at the minute," Colwill said.

Robins manager Michael Flynn said there was a "lot of interest" in Colwill.

"He's a top player with a lot of potential and we're really looking forward to working with him and hope he can play a big part for us," Flynn added.

[themaclad]

Cheltenham Town have signed defender Ibrahim Bakare on a free transfer.

The 22-year-old becomes the Robins' 15th summer signing.

Bakare most recently played for Vancouver FC in Canada, having previously been in Morcambe's academy.

The length of the contract has not been stated.

Cheltenham will begin the League Two season at home to Newport County on Saturday.

[themaclad]

Cheltenham Town have completed the loan signings of Lewis Shipley from Norwich City and Manni Norkett from Nottingham Forest.

Shipley, 20, spent last season on loan at Accrington Stanley and appeared 31 times, scoring twice.

The defender has joined the Robins until January.

Norkett, 19, joins also until January, with the forward seeking first-team experience after making 11 appearances for Forest's Under-21 side last season.

[themaclad]

Cheltenham Town have signed defender Darragh Power from League of Ireland side Waterford.

The 24-year-old came through Waterford's academy and went on to make over 100 senior appearances.

"I'm delighted to be here, I've been here for a few days now settling in and I'm very happy to be at the club," Power said.

"I've played nearly 150 games now so I'm experienced and mature so when this opportunity came up I had to jump at it.

"The gaffer has told me all about the plans and I'm here now to try and help the team get promoted."

Cheltenham are 14th in League Two, six points below the play-off positions.

[themaclad]

Cheltenham Town have signed midfielder Tommy Backwell on loan from Bristol City until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old signed his first professional deal with City in May 2022 but has yet to make a senior appearance for the Championship club.

Cheltenham saw former loanee Joel Colwill, who had scored nine goals from midfield, recalled by Cardiff City last week before he was sent to League One Exeter.

"He covers the ground well and he works with a really high intensity," manager Michael Flynn told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"Tommy gives us more options in the middle of the park and I'm delighted to have him on board."

Backwell is Flynn's fourth signing of the January transfer window after Brentford loan duo Ashley Hay and Val Adedokun and Darragh Power, who joined from Waterford.

Cheltenham are 13th in the table and travel to Harrogate on Friday night.

[themaclad]

Cheltenham Town have signed teenage Manchester United winger Ethan Williams on loan until the end of the season.

The 19-year-old has yet to make an appearance for the mid-table Premier League side but has featured four times for their Under 21s in the EFL Trophy.

The move will be his first chance to play senior men's football.

"Ethan is a very talented player and he comes here now to add that bit of quality in the final third," Cheltenham Town manager Michael Flynn told the club website.

"There was a lot of interest in him, so I'm really glad that we got it over the line.

"He's a player that makes the keeper work when he gets into the final third. I'm excited to be working with him."

[themaclad]

Cheltenham Town have signed experienced midfielder Timothee Dieng on loan and made midfielder Tommy Backwell's loan move permanent.

Dieng, joins from League Two rivals Gillingham until the end of the season.

The 32-year-old Frenchman moved to England in 2014 and has had spells with Oldham Athletic, Bradford City and Southend United.

Backwell has signed until the summer of 2026 from Bristol City after making four appearances for the club since joining on a temporary deal on 16 January.

The 21-year-old had not played a first-team game for the Championship side after coming through their academy.

He joined Exeter City in 2021 and helped the Grecians win promotion from League Two in 2022 - gaining a nomination for League Two Team of the Season in the process.

Gillingham activated a release clause to sign Dieng two years ago and he has gone on to score 11 goals in more than 70 appearances.

The duo are the sixth and seventh new players to move to Whaddon Road since the start of January.

[themaclad]

Five players will leave Cheltenham Town once their contracts expire next month after the club confirmed its 2024-25 retained list.

Goalkeepers Max Harris and Owen Evans, midfielders Tom Pett and Brandon Liggett and striker Ryan Bowman are set to depart.

Meanwhile goalkeeper Joe Day, defenders Ryan Haynes and Tom Bradbury and midfielders Liam Kinsella and Freddy Willcox have been offered new deals.

Defender Sam Stubbs, midfielder Timothee Dieng, winger Ethan Williams and forward Ashley Hay return to Bradford City, Gillingham, Manchester United and Brentford respectively, following their loans.

Cheltenham finished the campaign 15th in League Two, losing just one of their last five games and winning three.

[themaclad]

Cheltenham Town midfielder Liam Kinsella has signed a new one-year contract with an option to extend it by a further year.

The 29-year-old defensive midfielder made 41 appearances in all competitions for the League Two Robins during the 2024-25 season.

Last month it was announced that five players were to be released by the club but that Cheltenham had offered Kinsella a new deal along with Joe Day, Ryan Haynes, Tom Bradbury and Freddy Willcox.

"I'm absolutely buzzing to get it all sorted," Kinsella told the club website., external

"I've enjoyed it here from minute one and as soon as I knew a deal was there, there was no other place I wanted to be."

Kinsella, the son of former Charlton and Republic of Ireland midfielder Mark, began his career at Walsall where he made over 200 appearances and won the club's player of the year award twice in a row before joining Swindon in 2023.

[themaclad]

Cheltenham Town have signed defender Robbie Cundy and striker Lee Angol following their departures from Notts County and Morecambe respectively.

Centre-back Cundy, 28, has signed a one-year deal with the Robins and is their first signing of the summer.

He made 11 appearances for Notts County in his one season with the club during 2024-25, spending the second part of the campaign on loan with Solihull Moors in the National League.

He started his career in Oxford United's academy and has also played for clubs including Bristol City, Barnsley, Cambridge United and Gillingham.

Angol, 30, rejected an offer to stay with Morecambe in favour of moving to the Robins.

He was the Shrimps top scorer in the league last season with seven goals in 26 matches after joining from Sutton United a year ago.

Angol also made over 50 appearances for Peterborough United in a playing career that has included spells with Leyton Orient and Bradford City.