Looking at the Crewe Alex Summer 2025 Retained List

Where did the season go? We're suddenly already at the end of February and there are only 13 games to go until the end of the season. For Crewe Alex, they still hold promotion ambitions to get out of League Two, but those hopes are under serious threat as they desperately hold on to a play-off spot.

But today isn't about discussing their play-off ambitions, it's about looking at the upcoming off season, where as usual, some big decisions will need to be made to help shape their squad to be ready for next season, regardless of what league they might be in. Their shopping list doesn't project to be as big as the one from last summer thankfully, nor as painful. But it is no less important, as this season has shown the squad still has holes and areas that require improvement. So, let's go through the Alex's contract situations and see who might or might not be back for 2025-26:

Under Contract

The Alex currently have 12 players confirmed as being under contract for next season and beyond:

Defenders: James Connolly, Nathan Robinson

Midfielders: Max Sanders, Jack Powell, Conor Thomas

Attacking Midfielders/Wingers: Jack Lankester, Matus Holicek, Joel Tabiner, Callum Agius, Fin Roberts

Strikers: Omar Bogle, Adrien Thibaut

You can maybe factor in Owen Taylor, but I'd imagine he'll spend most of his time playing out the 2nd year of his scholarship and won't be around the first team squad much. Even if you don't count him just yet, that's 2 centre backs, 3 midfielders, 5 attacking midfielders/wingers and 2 strikers. That's honestly not a bad core to build around and unlike in previous years, at this stage none of them project to be deadweight they'll be desperate to try and release.

Options Held

Whilst their list of under contract players is at a reasonable number already, the club holds options on 6 other players that we know of, with a lack of clarity on Lucas Sant. So let's go through the 6 we know do have options and discuss whether those options will be taken up or not:

Tom Booth(GK)

It's been a tough time of things for Booth. He looked all set to take the number 1 spot heading into the season, but an ill timed injury and the impressive form of Filip Marschall has kept him on the bench for the whole season thus far.

He's missed 7 games this season through injury and that is a concern given he hasn't even played any games. He missed 2 chunks of time last season with injury issues as well. For me, a keeper with injury concerns is one that is hard to carry. An outfield player like has 3-4 options to replace him. With a keeper in a lower league side, you don't.

I still think he has a lot of potential to be a decent L2 keeper, but his lack of game time and injuries this season are a big concern. If they were to move on, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I think they'll keep him around run with the same combination as these last 3 seasons, whereby they bring in a young loanee to compete for the number 1 spot alongside him. For me though, I'm 50/50 over whether I keep him.

Likely Choice: Retain

My Choice: Unsure

Charlie Finney(LB)

Finney is another who saw a potential starting spot disappear through injury. He spent the summer recovering from calf surgery and getting his fitness levels up, which meant he missed the opening games of the season. That opened the door for Max Conway to come in and make the left side his own. Finney has since been restricted to just 9 league appearances, none of them starts.

He turns 22 next October and to date, he's made just 28 appearances in the league, with only 3 of them starts. It's hard not to think the ship has sailed on him becoming a big part of the team. Do they keep him for one more year and hope he can offer competition at LB/LWB? Or do they move on? I can't call it at this stage.

Likely Outcome: Unsure

My Choice: Unsure

Mickey Demetriou(CB)

We went through a worrying few days in January when we thought he was on his way to MK Dons. But thankfully, he's here to stay. For now at least. Will MK come back in the summer with a gob of money to try and tempt him away for free? Will a team like Shrewsbury move for him if they come down to L2, given he's local and they will need all the experience and leadership they can get?

The club hold an option to extend his deal, so they'll likely look to take that up. But is it 100% guaranteed that he will not ask to seek life elsewhere in the summer? I don't think it is at this stage. I'd say it's likely he returns for a 3rd year at Gresty Road, but I wouldn't say it's a given.

Likely Outcome: Extend

My Choice: Extend

Lewis Billington(CB/RB)

I feel for him. I'd have moved him to CB and rather than signing Connolly last summer and then signed a proper full/wing back to compete with Ryan Cooney on the right. But they didn't and 3 games into the season he lost his spot in the team as they moved to a 3-5-2 and preferred Cooney at RWB.

Personally, I don't see him coming back as they seem pretty full at CB for next season. But saying that, things could quickly change this summer, with Zac Williams' future up in the air and the possibility of losing Demetriou higher than we previously thought. which might present a chance for Billo.

But to be honest, with Connolly, Robinson and possibly Stan Dancey all right sided CBs, I don't see a place in the squad for him for next season. I think he's on his way out.

Likely Outcome: Release

My Choice: Release

Owen Lunt(CM)

He's looked lively in the games he's played and for me, he should have played more than he has done. With Lowery heading back to Portsmouth at the end of the season, I think he Lunt would be the ideal choice to slot into a 3 man midfield alongside Powell and Sanders next season, given Tabiner and Holicek's struggles playing in there. He might be their best internal option. Him being a Lunt will also count in his favour I'd imagine. I'd be surprised at this point if he was let go.

Likely Outcome: Retained

My Choice: Retained

Kane Hemmings(ST)

I feel for him, he's had a torrid season. He enjoyed a solid start, then an unfortunate broken foot at Newport saw him miss 4 months. Then he was rushed back and in his 2nd game after returning to fitness, he pulled a muscle in his leg and was ruled out again. It's just been a real season to forget, which is a shame as his time playing football is running out.

Do the Alex like what they've seen and back him to return to fitness next season? Or do they move away from him and try to find a different profile striker to Bogle? I'm unsure at this point.

Likely Outcome: Unsure

My Choice: Unsure

Out of Contract

Now we come to the 5 players who we know don't have options in their deals. However, 2 of those are under the age of 24, which of course means the Alex would be entitled to compensation on should they attempt to leave after being presented fresh terms. So, let's go through them:

Ryan Cooney(RB/RWB)

This is a tricky one. If rumours are to be believed, they were ready to move on last summer, but he stuck around and took his chance when it came around. On the plus side, he's determined, passionate and a real pain in the arse to play against. He's done well for goal contributions this season, with 3 goals and 5 assists to his name.

However, his all round form has dipped in recent months and his discipline has gotten worse. He's sat out several games suspended and I wonder if the club feel they can upgrade on him in the summer. However, they still look light for RB options and he at worst could be affordable depth. I'd keep him, but look to find some proper competition in the summer transfer window. And I think that's what the club might do too, given his popularity around both the squad and the fan base.

Likely Outcome: Retain

My Choice: Retain

Zac Williams(CB)

Hot take: The Alex and Zac Williams would be both be better served by him moving on this summer. The management have been hamstrung by the fact both he and Demetriou need game time and play the exact same position, LCB. Which means to accommodate them both, they've had to move to a back 3 and stick with it, even when it feels like they need to look at moving away from it. With Mickey probably here to stay, I think if Zac finds a move away from the club, it would be good for all parties. Now, if Mickey leaves, then this opens the door up for Zac to stay for them to find an experienced RCB instead.

However, complicating things is the fact that his contract is up in the summer and despite new terms being presented to him, he's yet to sign, which shows a reluctance to stay. If a team comes in with a competitive offer around the £500k region, I'd happily take it and sell him. I think building a team for next season would be better off for him not to be at the club, as harsh as that sounds.

Likely Outcome: Retain

My Choice: Sell

Lucas Sant(LB)

Sant feels very much like Max Woodcock and Zak Kempster-Down last season, signed as cheap depth for the U21s, but not one they feel can have a long term future at the club. He's one of only 2 contracted outfield players in the squad not to have started at least 1 game, the other being Nathan Robinson, who is just returning from a long term lay off. I think he's on his way out in the summer.

Likely Outcome: Release

My Choice: Release

Chris Long(ST/LW)

I don't dislike Chris Long the player. When fit, he's an excellent option to have. 4 goals in 14 games, just 3 of them starts, is a superb return. However, I do dislike Chris Long's body and it's inability to play more than 6 games of football before breaking down. They've managed him. They've wrapped him in cotton wool. And he's still only been fit for 18 of their 33 games so far this season. It's not enough.

Since he joined the club back in 2021, the Alex have played 15,390 minutes of league football. He has played 2,998 of them. That's 19.5%. They can't seriously consider keeping a player with that level of availability for a 5th year can they? We have to be done. We have to be. However, I'm not sure they are, given how much Lee Bell loves him.

Likely Outcome: Retained

My Choice: Release

Shilow Tracey(RW/ST)

We were teased with the possibility of him finding consistency in October and November when he potted 5 goals in 4 home games. But the reality is, he just isn't anywhere near productive enough to justify keeping, barring an incredible end to the season. He now has 8 goals and 4 assists in 74 appearances. His last assist came almost 14 months ago away at Barrow. In the time since he did that, Lewis Billington has 3 assists. Ed Turns and Lewis Leigh, who haven't played for the club since last May, have more. Callum Agius, Adrien Thibaut and Zac Williams have more.

He's averaging a goal/assist every 457 minutes of football. Simple maths tells you that's 1 every 9 games. It's a woeful record and simply not the record of someone you want to sign up for more of. Yes, the pace, work rate and stretching of defences has it's value. But so does actually contributing on the stats sheet more than he does. I can see them looking to retain him, but they really should be moving on.

Likely Outcome: Unsure

My Choice: Release

Youth Team

Of course, we can't discuss the squad picture for next season without looking at which 2nd year scholars will get deals. I did a whole piece discussing this yesterday, so I'll link that here. But the long and short of it is, I came to the conclusion that I felt Stan Dancey(CB), Oliver Armstrong(CM/FB), Luca Moore(CM) and Jordan Hodkin(ST) would get deals. Owen Taylor of course already has a pro deal, but he's only going into the 2nd year of his scholarship, so I won't factor him in too much.

Conclusion

So there we go. What I would say when I plot all this out is, I really do think a lot of the individual decisions are very much up in the air. Most of them probably. I honestly think you could make compelling cases to keep all 11 of the above names and you could see a scenario where the majority of them leave.

However, as I alluded to, what's good this time around is there is no deadweight in the squad. As much as I personally might like or dislike any of the above players as footballers, I can see a viable path forward either with them coming back in 2025-26 or without them should they be shown the door or choose to walk out of it this summer.

It's clear as well that they are at a crossroads. If they let half or more of the 11 above names go, they will be well positioned for a refresh in both defence and attack. If they bring the majority of them back, they will be clearly prioritising stability and continuity. It'll be interesting to see which path they choose.