As League Two approaches it’s inevitable early end to the season, many are speculating about what will happen over the summer, and specifically how clubs will approach the transfer market, given what is going on right now.
Firstly, we have already seen some clubs releasing players, and it is clear that it will be a time where larger squads trim down, to reduce wage bills. The prime example here for me is Colchester, who very early on released 4 players who were key in their promotion push. This was an early sign that clubs will have to re-evaluate the balance of their sides, and realistically only keep the players they really want to keep. It was seen as a bold move, especially given the fact that at the time, no plans had been made as to how the season would end.
Academy’s are going to be vital in the next few years for clubs. Walsall have historically always produced many players through the youth ranks, although we all know in recent years that the academy hasn’t been it’s usual strength. This season has brought about a real change with this, and I am excited to see what home grown talent we can develop over the next few years, with Miguel Llera at the helm. I feel we will see a lot making a stake for first team football over the next couple of seasons. Academy players will command a lower wage, and could be seen as a realistic way of squad sizes remaining at similar numbers, especially in Walsall’s case.
I also predict we will see players who are typically ‘higher earners’ going to clubs that are known to be teams that don’t pay through the roof on wages. Those players who have been released may be left without a club if their demands are too high. Yes, there will be those that stick to what they feel they should be being paid, but I can see many panicking that they will be left on the scrap heap if they price themselves out of a league. That being said, it will also be interesting to see whether players stick with a deal on the table at their current club, or try and push others for a better one.
Finally, a slight fear of mine. We have seen players move on several times, it’s football, players come and go. However, I worry that clubs could have their hands tied by accepting bids for players, purely to make ends meet in the current climate. My fear is we lose a few key players, however I have faith in Leigh Pomlett that any money made on transfers would be re-invested to help Darrell Clarke replace them. I know it is something we always fear in football, but if a Championship or League 1 club are looking for squad players, or players they want to develop, then they may start looking at talented players in League 2 to do that. Overall, my worry is that we lose players who have become core players over our better form in the 2nd half of the season.
That is just some of my thoughts. Let me know what you think, and if you feel I have missed any glaringly obvious potential changes to the transfer market.
