Following the news that big Jon Mellish had signed a new contract till the summer of 2026, I thought it would be a good opportunity to have a look at the squad, where the contracts are up to, and whose contracts are a priority.
For players who have contracts until the summer of 2025 or beyond, I am going to put them in the no short-term actions needed category, these players are:
Jon Mellish 2026
Dylan McGeouch 2025
Sam Lavelle 2025
Ben Barclay 2025
Alfie McCalmont 2025
Jack Robinson 2025 (with an option)
Taylor Charters 2025
Kai Nugent 2024 (with an option)
Callum Guy 2025 (with an option)
Jack Armer 2026
Jayden Harris 2025
I personally think it is great to see so many players contracted to the club for more than 12 months. I am not a fan of 1-year deals for players under the age of 30. It means if a club in a higher division comes in for a player we can actually demand some money rather than the player going for free.
There are 9 senior players with less than 12 months left on their contracts. I have listed them in my priority order with some commentary added.
Owen Moxon 2024
Without trying to state the obvious this contract extension is just as important as any signing this year. Owen is 25 years old, it's a big contract for him. Could we tie him down until the summer of 2026? If he performs in League One this season, his stock will be very high, and we will need as much leverage as possible to demand a really good fee for him in the summer of 2024. Fingers crossed the club can get it done.
Ryan Edmondson 2024
Edmonson is a 22-year-old, 6ft2 striker with pace. What's not to love? Well, he's never scored more than 4 goals in a season. However, has he really been given a chance? He was unlucky with injuries last season, needing surgery on his shoulder. There's definitely a player in there, and, if he's given a good run in the team, I really think he could score some goals. I think we need to tie him down for another 2 years for him to prove himself and keep his value.
Paul Huntington 2024
In February this year, an option was triggered on Huntington's contract to keep him with us until the summer of 2024. This was reported as an automatic process due to the number of appearances made. It's no doubt that Paul has a massive influence over the team, even at the age of 35 (36 in September). I'd expect the club to offer a similar deal in the autumn of this year for a contract until 2025 with an option based on appearances.
Tomas Holy 2024
The fan base is a bit split on Tomas, some love him, and some hate him. That being said he got 20 clean sheets last season and was the defacto number 1. He's got League One experience and is in his prime as a goalkeeper. Surely this is a no-brainer?
Jack Ellis 2024
A former youth player whose on relatively low wages, and, will make a contribution this season. Easy 2 year deal, please.
Jordan Gibson 2024
I wonder if moving up a league this season for a more technical less physical league might actually help Gibson? He's looked like a live wire in pre-season, and he's got another year under his belt playing attacking midfield. I suppose we don't want to commit to early on a longer deal for a squad player.
Max Kilsby 2024
Kilsby's contract will be dependent on whether he's loaned out or not this season, the success of the loan, and/or his impact on the first team. Hard to say at this stage, but not a major priority.
Joe Garner 2024
Joe Garner will be 36 years old come the summer of 2024. He doesn't have as much of an influence on the pitch as Huntington. I expect Simmo to see where we are next summer as to whether Joe will be offered a deal or not.
Gabriel Breeze 2024
Breeze could benefit from a loan as it is quite hard to determine whether he can have an influence on the team in the future. I'm not expecting anything on his contract until next summer.
Let me know what you guys think and whether you are in agreement.
UTB.
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