Fleetwood Town manager, Joey Barton, will be looking to put some controversial moments from the past 12 months behind him and focus on building on a solid, if not remarkable, first season in charge of the Lancashire based club.
Blessed with what is surely one of the larger budgets in the division, playoffs must be the aim for Barton’s boys after they’ve recruited smartly during the off-season to improve what was already a talented squad.
Perhaps the pick of the summer signings so far is central midfielder Paul Coutts. The former Scotland U21 international joins from Sheffield United. Many Blades fans were surprised he’s dropped down to the third tier and if he can stay clear of his recent injury troubles he certainly has the potential to be one of the stars of League One next season.
Coutts will likely be partnered in midfield by Rangers loanee, Jordan Rossiter. The ex Liverpool man has replaced another Gers man in Jason Holt, who returned to Glasgow after playing well over 2000 minutes last season.
Rossiter looked a class above when playing for Bury in the division below in the latter part of last season and is another one who has the potential to light up the league if he can stay injury free.
Josh Morris is another eye-catching addition. The 27-year-old only managed 19 appearances for relegated Scunthorpe last term. But if he can recapture some of his 16/17 form, where he contributed 19 goals and 16 assists to help his then side pip Fleetwood to 3rd place, he’s sure to improve an already strong Fleetwood midfield.
Attacking full back Danny Andrew’s arrival is perhaps one of the clearest signs that Fleetwood must be on financial parity with some of League One’s big boys.
The 28-year-old returns to Highbury, after rejecting a new deal at last year’s losing play-off semi-finalists, Doncaster Rovers, which Grant McCann told the Doncaster Free Press “would have put him right up there with the highest paid left backs in League One.”
Andrew’s opposite full back is more than likely going to be Lewis Coyle, who returns once more for a third loan spell at the club from Leeds. Coyle will be looking to add to his 83 appearances for the club and hopefully also add some team silverware to go to with his 17/18 Players Player of the Year Award.
However, many feel that the pivotal piece of summer business is still yet to come. Ched Evans finished the season as Fleetwood’s top scorer with 17 goals, but the Welsh striker’s future is still up in the air.
He was transfer listed by his parent club, Sheffield United, following their promotion to the Premier League and the forward has previously made clear his desire to test himself in the Championship. When Evans was linked to Bolton during the January window he stated to the Blackpool Gazette: “I just wanted to go and test myself in the Championship. It did not happen and we move forward.”
So far though that Championship interest is yet to materialise, with Oxford being the only side linked with him. This will surely be music to Fleetwood’s ears, as they could look to pick up last season’s Chairman’s Player of the Year on a cut price deal later in the window.
If Fleetwood aren’t able to entice Evans to return to Highbury, then you would expect them to go in for another striker, as although the likes of Paddy Madden and Wes Burns are serviceable at this level, they might not bring enough firepower to match the club’s lofty ambitions.
In terms of other exits it seems that Barton has been able to keep hold of the rest of his squad from last season with the exception of Evans. Most of the outgoings appear to be just trimming the fat of the squad, with the likes of James Wallace, Ryan Taylor and Paul Jones all let go following the expiration of their contracts.
It’s also imperative that Barton manages to keep hold of the rest of his key players, including exciting winger, Ashley Hunter. The 23-year-old has some excellent underlying data to his name from last season, as shown by this tweet from the fantastic @Blades_analytic.
https://twitter.com/Blades_analytic/status/1145712779397074946
With data like that you can see why Preston might be looking at Hunter, as a replacement for the outgoing Callum Robinson. Although, you’d expert chairman, Andy Pilley, to demand a premium price for his winger, given the undisclosed club record fee Preston received for Robinson.
A player whose future at the club looks far less certain is midfielder Kyle Dempsey. The former Carlisle man has struggled for game time under Barton, so much so that he was loaned out to Peterborough last January.
The general consensus among the Fleetwood faithful is that Dempsey has been harshly treated and is deserving of more game time, but the fact that he didn’t even make the bench for Saturday’s friendly against Millwall seems ominous.
Overall, Fleetwood look well placed for a playoff push this term and if Barton avoids any further controversy, along with the proviso that they bring in Evans or a striker of a similar ilk, a run for the automatics might not be out of the question either.
