Shrewsbury Town have announced the signing of John Marquis on a two-year deal.
The League One side are preparing for another campaign in the third tier as they look to improve on their 19th-placed finish last season.
The Shrews announced today that experienced Football League striker, Marquis, was joining the club on a free transfer after being released by Bristol Rovers.
Speaking to the club’s website, manager Paul Hurst said:
“We are pleased to bring John in.
“He is a player who has vast experience and has scored goals throughout his career.
“I think his know-how will be invaluable to the team and the squad.
“He will lead by example, help set standards across the football club and will be a big influence in the dressing room.”
Marquis’ Career So Far
Marquis, now 32, started his career with Millwall. He progressed through their youth ranks and played 65 games for the London side, scoring six goals.
Marquis was loaned out several times while at Millwall. He gained non-league experience with Staines Town and also played for numerous Football League clubs on loan.
In 2016, he left Millwall and joined Doncaster Rovers on a free transfer. It’s here he enjoyed his most successful goalscoring spell. In 153 games, he scored 66 times for the South Yorkshire side.
In his first season at Doncaster, he scored 26 goals in 45 games. He was the top scorer in League Two and was named the Player of the Year.
In 2019, his goalscoring exploits secured him a move to Portsmouth. Marquis signed a three-year deal, but he struggled to replicate his Doncaster form, scoring 37 in 126 games.
He departed Portsmouth and joined Lincoln City, before moving to Bristol Rovers, where he spent the last two seasons.
How did Marquis perform last season?
Marquis played 25 games last season for Bristol Rovers. Of those 25 games, he started 13 times – resulting in 1380 minutes over the season.
The attacker scored just four goals for Rovers, some way off his League One personal best of 21 goals for Doncaster in the 2018/19 season.
According to WhoScored, he had an average rating of 6.28 in Bristol Rovers league games. This rating puts Marquis 27th out of 30 players for Rovers.
Offensively he struggled. Marquis had an average xG/90 of 0.41. He also struggled to contribute to the team’s attacks, with just 0.3 average passes over the season.
Is this a good deal for Shrewsbury Town? – opinion
A leading attacking figure is something Shrewsbury missed last season. Daniel Udoh scored 11 goals, but they need a 15+ goal man if they want to move further up the league.
If the Shrews can help Marquis rediscover his goalscoring boots, he could be that 15-goal striker.
Although he’s scored just 22 goals in the past four seasons. This after he scored 16 in the 2020/21 season for Portsmouth in League One.
With the deal being a free transfer, the risk for Shrewsbury is low. They’ll be hoping it’s a deal that pays off with goals.