Football
Exclusive: Former Huddersfield Defender Josh Ruffels on Verge of Shrewsbury Move
Former Huddersfield Town defender Josh Ruffels is close to signing with Shrewsbury Town after training with the club. Ruffels, who worked with Shrewsbury's boss Michael Appleton at Oxford United, brings experience as the team aims to avoid relegation.
Huddersfield Town v Norwich City - Sky Bet Championship by John Early | Getty Images
Free agent Josh Ruffels is on the verge of signing for Shrewsbury Town, SportsBoom can reveal.
The defender has been without a club since being released by Huddersfield Town at the end of last season.
He spent a spell training with the PFA during their summer camps and our sources understand he has since trained with League Two Shrewsbury in recent weeks with talks over a deal ramping up over the past week.
The left-back worked with current Shrews’ boss Michael Appleton earlier in his career when Appleton spent neigh on three years as boss of Oxford United.
And their reunion is in the process of being formally finalised after the 31-year-old was offered a deal by the club in recent days.
Ruffels was linked with a move to AFC Wimbledon and other League One clubs earlier in the summer but a third-tier move failed to materialise.
Appleton has been desperate to add another voice of experience in the locker room as he desperately tries to avoid back-to-back relegation which would see the club relegated to non-league.
Ruffels fits the bill in terms of experience and quality as Shrewsbury, who have lost three on the bounce and seven of their first ten, try to propel themselves away from the dreaded trap door.
Reunion Set
Ruffels started his career at Coventry City and made a solitary appearance for the club when he came on as a substitute against Crystal Palace in the Championship in 2011.
He was released by the Sky Blues in 2013 and moved to Oxford United, the place of his birth, and spent eight years at the club.
During his time at the Us, which coincided with Appleton’s stint in charge, he was named Young Player of the Year and helped the club get promoted to League One.
After back-to-back play-off heartache in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, Ruffels got his long-awaited taste of Championship football again when he moved to Huddersfield, the 1,000th player to play for the club, in 2021.
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