Bristol Rovers has announced the signing of goalkeeper Josh Griffiths on a season-long loan from Championship side West Bromwich Albion.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper only made three appearances for West Brom last season with two being in the FA Cup and the other being in the EFL Cup as he appeared on the bench in every Championship game last season.
Speaking to the club’s media team Josh had this to say.
“The deal got done really quickly and, having spoken to the manager, George Friend and Scott Brown, I think this is a move that is a really good fit for me. I’m really excited to get going.
“I’ve had some good conversations with the manager and he has put across his ideas to me, what he wants from the style of play, and those talks went really well. I got a good feel from him in those chats and then had further conversations with George and Scott, who presented the Club really well.
“In truth, I didn’t need much convincing. With the signings the Club made earlier this window too, you can see Bristol Rovers is a team that’s only going in one direction and that’s an exciting project to come and be a part of. I like to think I can come and be a part of that and help the team move forward.
“I just want to hit the ground running now. I’m looking forward to working with Jed Ward and Matt Hall. I’ve heard great things about them both and I’m sure we’re all going to be pushing each other throughout the season.”
Who is Josh Griffiths?
A product of the West Brom academy, the goalkeeper had his first taste of senior football when he went out on loan to Cheltenham Town for the 20/21 season where he helped The Robins win promotion to League One as well as winning the club Young Player of the Year and keeping 23 clean sheets on his 50 appearances.
Upon returning to the Baggies, he was sent out on loan again to League One side Lincoln City for the 21/22 season keeping just two clean sheets in his 35 appearances for the Imps.
The goalkeeper then had his third loan spell away joining Portsmouth where he played 28 times keeping eight clean sheets before returning to West Brom in the January window.
He has also made 13 appearances for the first team with West Brom in the Championship.
What is the goalkeeping situation at Bristol Rovers?
Before the arrival of Josh, there were two goalkeepers currently contracted to Bristol Rovers both being 21 years old.
The first is Jed Ward who had somewhat of a breakthrough season. He spent the first half of the 23/24 season on loan in the National League with Wealdstone before returning to the club and making 18 appearances in League One. The keeper acted as a sweeper 1.11 times per 90 as well as 1.28 high claims per 90.
The second contracted goalkeeper is Matt Hall. Matt is currently yet to make a first-team appearance for The Gas having joined the club from Southampton but did appear on the bench multiple times last season.
Is this good business by Bristol Rovers?
Josh will most likely be coming in as a number-one goalkeeper as I would be surprised if West Brom would have let him leave on loan without the guarantee for first-team football. However, I am surprised they have opted to loan in a goalkeeper who will most likely replace Jed for this season at least. Jed had a strong end to the season and this move may hinder his development, especially considering he is contracted until 2028.
However, Josh is a very strong shot-stopper and offers strong distribution which suits how manager Matt Taylor wants to play, while there is work to do on the command of his area this in my opinion all comes down to experience with goalkeepers and Josh will be hoping that this loan move can put him in a good position to challenge for the Number 1 jersey at his parent club at the end of the season.