Fleetwood Town look set to secure young full-back Josh Powell on loan after his departure from Colchester United.
The Nottingham Forest academy prospect spent the first half of the season in Essex, but was recalled back to the City Ground after nine League Two appearances for Danny Cowley’s side.
Fleetwood Incomings Begin
According to Pete O’Rourke on his social media, The Cod Army have agreed to a deal to loan in Powell, who primarily played left-back while at Colchester.
He will become the first signing of Pete Wild’s January plans, which have already seen a big cash injection following the reported £400,000 sale of striker Ryan Graydon to League Two rivals Salford City.
Powell’s stint at the U’s was his first taste of senior football, having spent his entire youth career at Forest, progressing into the under-21’s side, who he represented in the Premier League 2 for the past four seasons.
We can confirm that Josh Powell has been recalled by Nottingham Forest.
Josh made 14 appearances for the U’s after joining on loan on 6th August and will now return to Forest following the conclusion of his spell in North Essex.
We’d like to thank Josh for his efforts during… pic.twitter.com/FDxbxJ19DT
— Colchester United FC (@ColU_Official) January 2, 2026
Game time was a big concern for Sean Dyche’s side, with the 21-year-old last featuring in December’s EFL Trophy match against West Ham United and had not played in League Two since early October.
Must Take Opportunity
After what was a disappointing loan spell under Danny Cowley and Colchester United, now is the time for Josh Powell to make the step up and prove he can deliver in League Two.
While still a valuable experience to recieve, limited game time in League Two will not have given Nottingham Forest good enough data around how he fared, and with the EFL Trophy not being a fair reflection of senior football, recalling him was the right decision.
He now looks set to join Fleetwood Town, which will see him try and adapt to a new formation, with Pete Wild preferring a back three.
With some stiff competition in the squad, including Zech Medley and Denver Hume whenever he returns from his head injury, Powell faces a big task to put himself in with a chance of claiming a first-team place at Highbury.