Former Chelsea youngster completes Morecambe move

The 23-year-old, who played against them for Cheltenham Town last season, follows on from the signings earlier this week of Adam Smith and Chris Stokes.

He has signed a one-year deal with the Shrimps as boss Derek Adams starts to piece together a squad for the new League Two season.

The manager said: “Charlie is a promising young forward. He has come through a very strong academy and has since gone on and really tested himself in League One which will serve us well.

“For being only 23 years old, it is a testament to his character that he has over 75 appearances behind him.

“It shows his desire to play regular football and not be a bit-part player.”

Having started with Ipswich Town, Brown progressed through the youth ranks at Chelsea with 53 goals in 108 games at U18, U19 and U23 levels.

After a loan spell with Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise, Brown joined MK Dons in January 2021 and netted three times in 20 appearances during the second half of the campaign.

The following season brought a further 12 matches for the Dons before moving to Cheltenham in the January 2022 transfer window.

He played three times for the Robins that season before featuring more regularly in 2022/23.

Brown played 28 games, scoring five times in the process, with two of those goals coming in an EFL Trophy win against Chelsea’s U21s.

He also featured in both League One matches against the Shrimps last season: Cheltenham’s 1-0 win in October 2022 and Morecambe’s 2-1 victory at the Mazuma Stadium in early January.

After putting pen to paper, Brown said: “I’m very much looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead.

“Everybody knows that Morecambe are a club that have been an asset to the EFL since they came into the professional leagues, and I want to play my part in the next chapter.”

“When you join any club it is about ‘what feels right’ and this certainly felt right for me, and I can’t wait to get going.”