Five Potential Landing Spots For Sutton United’s Harry Smith

After a disappointing season for Sutton United, which saw their relegation from the EFL back to the National League, matters were made even worse when it was confirmed on Tuesday morning that Harry Smith would be leaving the club.

Smith was the standout player in a struggling side this season and would earn himself plenty of admirers due to both his aerial ability as well as clinical finishing. The striker would rack up an impressive 11 goals and a further five assists during the League Two season, his most productive year to date.

His overall play was also very impressive, and despite being recognised as a classic number nine, Smith displayed some characteristics that you wouldn’t potentially expect from a striker. As a result, he’d earn himself a spot in the WhoScored Team of the Season and would in fact earn the fourth-highest rating in the entirety of the league.

Although WhoScored ratings aren’t exactly always the best metric to go off of, it still showcases Smith’s quality in the forward areas. It’s easy to see that he’s too good for the National League currently and it’s not exactly a surprise that he’s chosen to not renew his contract with Sutton.

Smith would be a very good pickup for several League Two clubs and should now be in his prime having just turned 29. If able to replicate his performances from this season then he’ll be a great forward option for many ambitious sides in the league.

With that in mind, here’s five potential landing spots for the striker…


AFC Wimbledon

A move slightly further into London makes a lot of sense for Smith, who has spent the majority of the last two seasons playing in the capital. It wouldn’t be a geographical change for the striker, which could mean that he settles in quicker and hits the ground running.

Wimbledon are crying out for another stinker to play alongside Omar Bugiel after losing Ali Al-Hamadi to Ipswich Town in the January transfer window and Smith could well be the right man.

After a disappointing end to the season, the Dons would miss out on a place in the play-offs and they potentially lacked some quality in the forward areas after losing Al-Hamidi. They may now have found his replacement and are already being strongly linked with the striker.


Cheltenham Town

A newcomer to League Two having been relegated from the third tier, Cheltenham will be hoping that they can immediately bounce back and achieve promotion. Just like Wimbledon they’d lose a striker in January, in the shape of Will Goodwin, and couldn’t find a suitable replacement.

Having scored a joint-league low 41 goals last term, it’s a position which is in obvious need of addressing. There’s a lot to like about how they played under Darrell Clarke after his appointment but they were potentially missing the final piece of the puzzle.

A goalscorer of Smith’s stature could’ve been just that and now in League Two, the club could choose to pursue.


Port Vale

Another relegated side who struggled for goals last season was Darren Moore’s Port Vale. The appointment of the former Sheffield Wednesday boss was supposed to galvanise the players but they’d end up finishing in a lowly 23rd place and rather drastic improvements are needed.

Moore would have a certain pull factor given his track record which other clubs’ managers simply do not have and that could tempt Smith. Vale are also in need of a goalscorer if they’re to contend next season and the club are expected to be very busy during the transfer window.

The 29-year-old could be one of the names on their shortlist and they should have decent-enough funds to offer him a good deal.


Crewe Alexandra

Having fallen at the final hurdle, a 2-0 loss to Crawley Town in the play-off final, Crewe will be back for more next season and will be hoping to book their place in the third tier. Given that they scored the lowest amount of goals within the top seven this season, perhaps it’s a pointer on where they need to look to improve this summer.

Elliott Nevitt proved his class this season and was key in their run to the play-offs but perhaps he was sometimes a bit tired due to a lot of the attacking workload being put upon him.

Nevitt and Smith could become one of the best attacking duos in the league if the move was to come to fruition and they’d be a rather exciting strikeforce to watch.


Gillingham

There’s been a common theme here, that being teams who have struggled to find the net, and Gillingham are no different. Given they’d score just 46 goals in 46 league games, the second lowest in the league, it would come as no surprise to see the Gills in for a striker or two this summer.

Even with that poor form in front of goal they’d still manage a 12th place finish but that wasn’t exactly where fans would’ve hoped they’d be. A proven goalscorer at the level was potentially all they needed and they must address the situation this summer.

Smith possesses all the characteristics needed of a striker at the level and could excel at Gillingham if deployed correctly. If they’re able to get a decent striker in, then they’re certainly one to watch next term.

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