9 Reasons why Crewe Alexandra are in a better position now than they were 12 months ago

Ok, it's a bit of a long title. But I couldn't think of any other way to frame it. The topic of conversation on Twitter/X has been buzzing in the last 2 days with news of Luke Offord's departure to MK Dons. It's reignited debates over the sustainability of the academy and the message it sends out about modern footballers and how they'll always chase the money.

But that's not what this is about. I wanted to post an end of May update on where I think the Alex stand in terms of building a squad. Because I think there is a growing sense of unease around some sections of the Alex fan base about where they currently sit. 7 out, none in, only 1 contract renewal, radio silence from the management, no incoming speculation of any kind. It's easy to see why some are getting twitchy. But here are 9 reasons why I think the Alex are in a much better position to what they were in 12 months ago:

Other Clubs

Yes, it can be frustrating to see other clubs make signings. But as of the time of writing this article on the evening of May 29th, 10 other League Two clubs have yet to make a single signing. They are: Bromley, Cheltenham, Colchester, Fleetwood, Harrogate, Morecambe, Newport, Swindon, Tranmere and Walsall. The Alex makes 11. So almost half the league are yet to do any business.

Heck, Swindon have only just appointed their manager, Mark Bonner at Gillingham has been in the job less than a month and Morecambe, Cheltenham and Barrow don't even have managers right now. The Alex aren't falling behind or anything like that, not given their season ended 2-3 weeks later than everyone else's.

Slow Market

People need to remember that it's not even June yet. The transfer window doesn't open for another 2 weeks. Most clubs don't start doing business until June. There have been, by my count, around 20 signings across the 13 clubs that have done business in L2 to this date. Most have only added 1 or 2. It'll start to pick up in the coming weeks as players return from holidays and the countdown to pre-season starts to come into view. The Alex not bringing in anyone at this stage isn't a concern in the slightest.

The Alex 12 months ago didn't sign their first player until June 14th, that being Harvey Davies. Ryan Cooney arrived on June 23rd. Demetriou didn't come in until July 21st and Joe White was a deadline day addition. The Alex have until August 30th to make additions. That's 3 whole months. 13 weeks. 93 days. That's an eternity in football terms. We're a long way from worrying about a lack of business.

Departures

Turning more specifically towards the Alex, things look pretty optimistic right now in terms of outgoings. Last summer, the management team were left trying to clean up the mess Dave Artell and Alex Morris had left for them. They didn't release Bassala Sambou until June 8th. Rod McDonald announced he was leaving on June 9th, Dan Agyei on June 29th and Tariq Uwakwe on June 30th. Ok, only McDonald and Agyei were losses, but they both made their intentions known weeks later than what Elliott Nevitt and Luke Offord have done.

What about the other departures? They weren't able to loan out Dave Richards until August 11th, Regan Griffiths and Billy Sass-Davies didn't depart until September 1st. They were clearing out deadwood right up until the end of the window.

Fast forward to this summer and the only 2 departures that look likely now are Adebisi and Baker-Richardson. Yes, those 2 alongside Offord and Nevitt are massive losses, bigger than the ones from 12 months ago, when arguably only McDonald and Agyei were big misses. But the fact is, this summer the departures are being done at a much faster rate and the last of them should be finished well before the pre-season starts.

Less Deadwood

As I've said before, the amount of deadwood the Alex were carrying 12 months ago was staggering. Richards, Sass-Davies, Colkett, Griffiths, Evans, Woodcock, Kempster-Down, Sambou. A good third of their squad was of little to no use to them. I don't mean that as harshly as it sounds, it's just that none of them were of any real value to the clubs season.

But who qualifies as deadwood in the current Alex squad? I'm no fan of a few of them, but even I can admit than on their day, they can contribute to varying degrees. The likes of Tracey, Long, Cooney and Thomas have their flaws, but they are(when fit) bench options at worst. Can you say the same for the names I mentioned above?

The only player they still have to cut loose is Richards and I suspect that will be done in the next few weeks. That puts them in a far better position than they were in 12 months ago.

Fresh Slate

Losing Offord and Nevitt is a big blow. Losing Adebisi if/when he goes is a big blow. Losing CBR is....a blow, but not a huge one. Add them in to the departures of O'Riordan and White in January and it leaves the Alex's squad looking threadbare and with huge holes in a lot of different places. But that in itself is refreshing.

They still retain a solid core of players in Booth, Billington, Demetriou, Powell, Tabiner and Holicek, with Cooney, Long, Thomas as experienced starters/bench options at worst. In Williams, Finney, Lunt and Agius, they have 4 wildcards which could all be massive contributors in 24-25.

But for me, what is most exciting is the fact that they have lots of open slots to fill with new signings. GK, LB, RCB, CM, LW, RW and ST are all spots they need to find players for. That means Bell can go in any which way he likes in terms of shaping the squad. He could target big physical experienced bruisers. He could target smaller, less experienced technical players. He could go old, he could go young, he could target pace or height or skill.

They need 8-10 signings at this moment in time. And those players will help give next seasons group a fresh feel. That can't be a bad thing can it?

Transfer Kitty

Another thing to factor in is the money Bell should have to spend. Whilst I know the FA Cup, O'Riordan and play-off run money won't all go to his warchest, he at the very least should have a budget comparable to the one he had 12 months ago. And going back to June 1st of last season, he's seen a lot of senior players on likely big wages leave.

Only 7 of the 15 players currently contracted to the club are above the age of 25. And that in itself tells a story. Only 15 players are tied down and most of them are younger players on inexpensive deals. Looking at this as a one-for-one, Bell must have money to directly replace Offord and Nevitt, plus Adebisi and CBR if/when they leave. He must have money to replace Colkett in midfield. The same goes for the players they've let go or sold in Sass-Davies, Griffiths, Evans and O'Riordan.

He should have more than enough budget to assemble a team of 25(ish) players that are capable of all contributing next season. Obviously big questions will need to be asked if he doesn't get all the players he wants, but assuming he does, I'm hopeful he can use that money wiseful to bring in the players to improve the squad and provide enough depth for a 46 game season.

Wiser and Smarter(hopefully)

You never know in football, but I'm also hoping the Alex's management and recruitment teams are wiser and smarter than they were a year ago. I'll still maintain that they made mistakes last summer in the signings of Davies, Cooney, Tracey and Rowe, but I'm in a minority on most of those. I also think they didn't address their weaknesses well enough in January with who they brought in.

But they have been trending in the right direction. The signings of Demetriou, Powell, Nevitt and White in the last 3 windows show clear improvement in this regard. So hopefully they can keep improving in terms of talent identification and pull out some more gems this summer.

Attractive proposition

The Alex have just come off the back of a stunning play-off comeback appearance and visit to Wembley. They finished 6th. Those achievements make them an attractive proposition for any player looking for a new club this summer. 12 months ago, they had just finished 13th, hardly a big pull.

Sure, money will always trump where a club finishes, see Nevitt for the most recent example of that. But free agents will be giving a call from Lee Bell some thought. I doubt many put down the phone straight away. I think finding good players won't be easy, but it will be easier than it was a year ago.

First Team Football

The Alex are helped by the fact that they need starters at striker, LB(if/when Adebisi goes) and RCB. Bringing in players is substantially easier when you can pretty much guarantee them starting roles, which the Alex can in those positions.

I'd argue that the constant injuries to Long and the up and down form of Tracey make recruiting wingers not too tricky either, given whoever they sign at those spots will likely play a fair amount. Goalkeeper and midfielder will be harder sells, but even then there should be a few options to pick from. I think the open spots in this team mean finding good players could be easier.

Conclusion

Don't fret Crewe fans. The club are in a much better position than they were 12 months ago for all the reasons I stated above. Now, I'm not for one second claiming they are destined for a great summer, or a great season in 24-25. Having all these advantages is one thing, but as I said, money talks more than anything else.

There is also no guarantee that all the signings they make this summer will pan out. A few of them probably won't. But the good news is, if they do find 3-4 key contributors in key spots, as they did with Demetriou, Powell and White 12 months ago, then there is every reason to feel confident that 24-25 could be another good season for the Railwaymen.