With just under 2 weeks to go until the start of the new League One season, Exeter City fans will undoubtedly be feeling a mixture of both excitement and also uncertainty over what the coming season will hold.
This summer has seen the biggest turnover of players for many years. Key players have departed. Archie Collins & Josh Key have both left for Peterborough Utd & Swansea City respectively. A lot of experienced heads have also gone out the door. Jamal Blackman, Jonathan Grounds, Kevin McDonald & Jake Caprice have all opted for a new challenge.
Including loan players returning to their parent clubs, the Grecians have lost 13 players this summer.
Gary Caldwell appears to have recruited well. Promising loan signings Ryan Trevitt (Brentford) and Dion Rankine (Chelsea) are testament to the clubs growing reputation for developing players, coupled with major improvements to training facilities. Expectations should be tempered however, this is the first time that both players have gone out on loan and will likely need to time to adjust to League One football.
In what could prove a masterstroke, the Grecians have signed Tom Carroll on a 1 year deal. The ex Tottenham & Swansea City midfielder certainly has the ability to control a game. With the energetic Kite & Trevitt around him, he should be able to sit and dictate play. The overarching question is of course “can we keep him fit?”. Carroll has been out of the game for a year and has had numerous issues with his hips. His game time will likely need to be managed correctly.
The biggest concern is that the squad depth looks worryingly short at the time of writing. It is likely another 3-4 signings are needed as a minimum. Caldwell has already mentioned that he is looking to bring in a 5th centre back. The squad also looks light in the right back/wing back position and in the forward positions. Sam Nombe remaining fit (and at the club) is essential you feel.
Just looking at the average age of the squad will show you we have a very young group of players this season. Only Peterborough & Lincoln have younger squads.
Experienced heads will need to be recruited in the coming weeks. It is worth mentioning that the transfer window does not close until 1st September and City regularly wait until the end of the window to do business, citing value for money.
It is very difficult to know what to expect from the coming season. City have been dealt a tough start, facing both Blackpool & Portsmouth (both strongly fancied to do well this season) in the month of August.
The squad picture will look much clearer by the end of August, at which point a more accurate assessment can be made.
“No truth in Nombe rumours” says Caldwell
Gary Caldwell has this evening provided an update ahead of the coming season whilst speaking at a Fans Forum event.
A day of social media frenzy had preceded the event with reports emerging online this morning that Exeter City had accepted a bid from Charlton Athletic for the dynamic striker Nombe.
Caldwell admitted that he doesn’t look at social media, but that he had been made aware of the online chatter prior to today’s training session.
The Grecians boss was keen to clarify that there was no truth in today’s rumours, which will come as a huge boost to the club’s supporters.
Later in the evening, the Trust & Club chair, Nick Hawker, confirmed that the club was in a healthy financial position and this is forecasted to be the case for the next 3 years. This means that the club do not have to sell any player. A significant fee would have to be offered, or a burning desire from the player himself to move to pastures new for any sale to occur.
The question on the lips of all City fans currently is of course, “are we close to making any new signings?” Caldwell was happy to provide an update, divulging that we are looking to bring in at least 3 more players (and hopefully more) before the window slams shut.
It seems the first arrival could come as soon as next week, with a loan signing close to completion. 18 year old midfielder Luke Harris (Fulham) is being strongly linked on social media. At this point, it makes sense to mention that the Grecians would have used 4 or their 5 loan spots in the squad.
The Manager was asked a couple of questions from the floor concerning ex-Grecian George Friend and Jay Stansfield and whether any attempts had been made to sign them for the forthcoming season. Caldwell revealed that he did indeed have conversations with Friend and tried to bring him back to the football club, which would have been a very popular move among supporters. Friend ultimately decided to sign for Bristol Rovers.
When asked if Stansfield was returning to the club, Caldwell pressed his hands together in a praying motion. It is very clear that Gary is very fond of Stansfield both as a player and as a person.
The Grecians boss also acknowledged that the club need to sign more experienced players over the coming weeks to help balance the squad. Caldwell sees Tom Carroll as a direct replacement, and step up from Kevin McDonald.
Questions were also asked about the concerning defensive displays in recent weeks. Caldwell was keen to point out that the players have been tested to their limits in pre season and this is likely affecting performance, with fatigue being a factor. Some of the squad have commented that this has been their toughest pre season to date, with 5am starts and late finishes, with Caldwell and the coaching staff stress testing the players and pushing them to their limits. However, he acknowledged that the displays need to be much better. It would appear Caldwell would like another centre back addition to compete with our current quartet to further strengthen the position.
Caldwell admitted that he likes players who can play in multiple positions on the pitch. This allows City to be flexible with formations and different tactics depending on the opposition we are playing. The signings so far point to this, with Dion Rankine, Ryan Trevitt and Vincent Harper all being able to play in more than 1 position.
The coming weeks will go a long way in determining how City’s season pans out. It is very clear that experienced signings are needed and the club must do whatever it can to keep hold of Nombe.
Saturday’s game at St James Park against Championship opposition Coventry will give City supporters the chance to watch their new signings in action. Caldwell admitted that Saturday’s starting line up is likely to be very close to what we should expect to see against Wycombe on August 5th.
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