New Walsall manager Mat Sadler, has explained he will prioritise the right characters over footballing ability when it comes to transfer targets, with quotes from Express and Star.
Following his appointment as interim manager in April, the former player has become the new permanent boss of the Saddlers and wants to build on the club’s “solid foundation”. With the League Two side releasing 11 players this summer, a busy few months will be ahead as the Midlands clubs look to rebuild on a disappointing season.
Who Is Mat Sadler?
A former footballer with 568 appearances over the course of his playing days, Sadler is entering his first managerial job with the Saddlers.
Staring his football at local team Birmingham City, the defender rose through the ranks of the academy before featuring 61 times for the Blues. Helping them in the Premier League and Championship, Sadler would bonce around between Watford, Walsall and Crawley before finding a stable home in Shrewsbury Town.
Going on to make 213 appearances for the Shrews, with the majority of them happening in League One, the 38-year-old hung up his playing boots at the Saddlers. Only retiring in 2022, Sadler stayed on as a coach and now has the manager’s job within a year.
Is Walsall In A Rebuild?
With a changer in management in place, Walsall will be looking to get back into the fight for promotion after many disappointing seasons. Getting relegated in 2019, the club has failed to return and is now on their fifth manager in the last three years.
With the Micheal Flynn experiment not working, Walsall now looks set for a big turnover in the transfer window which will see many new faces come through the doors. Partner that with a young manager, the club certainly set like they’re in the process of rebuilding things.
Writer’s View
Walsall has spent the last few years in the bottom half of League Two, so it’s not surprising Sadler wants a high turnover in players. If he believes a reason for this is a lack of character from the players, building a foundation with a group that is all pushing in one direction helps with that. Obviously their footballing ability will also have to match up, but it may be a process that takes time to succeed.
