Luke Offord returns to Crewe Alex - Thoughts

I was going to release an article discussing the Alex's current situation, but other plans got in the way. In the article, I was going to look at the club's seeming lack of money to make signings and get their own players renewed and how they found themselves in this position. But then, just 1 day after the players returned to pre-season training, they made their 2nd signing of the summer to totally flip things on the head. Because the player they have signed is Luke Offord. Now, this triggers a lot of different emotions and thoughts regarding him and what he might bring on his return. So, let's get into them in the classic good/bad structure:

The negatives

Never go back. The Alex have proved that time and time again. The list of former players who came back for a 2nd spell and never recaptured those former heights are endless. Shaun Miller, Luke Murphy, Kelvin Mellor, Charlie Kirk. Heck, even Connor O'Riordan and Tommy Lowery in 24-25 didn't quite reach their previous form. Will Offord be any different?

Because the fact is, after leaving on a free 2 years ago, Offord has had an up and down time with MK. He's been rumoured to have been wanting a move away for 12 months now. He's been a regular starter and won promotion, but the fact that MK didn't want to take him into L1 next season is an interesting one.

His career, in returning to the Alex, seems to have stalled. He's 26 and is remaining in L2. Could he have not found a L1 move? Or even, without sounding too disrespectful to the Alex, a richer club in L2 that is more likely to be in the promotion mix? What are his intentions with this move? Doing it because it's safe? Or does he genuinely have ambitions to match what was achieved in 2019-20?

The positives

Those negatives are stretches. In truth, there is very little to be unhappy about here. Had Offord spent his first few years at any other club, we'd be looking at this very differently. The Alex would be signing a durable, flexible double promotion winner who has amassed 270+ appearances at the age of 26 and we'd be all delighted with him as an addition.

Let's break those key points down. He's won promotion twice. A big plus. He's been a regular starter throughout his last 6 seasons, making 40+ league appearances in 4 of the last 5 seasons. That 5th season of course was the one when he got the serious injury in 23-24, which was one of the reasons why the Alex's season stuttered and almost imploded. His durability in particular is a massive plus and something this squad badly needs.

Then we have his positional versatility. He spent most of his career as CB, but we know his preference is to play more in midfield. Indeed, Bell's masterstroke in 23-24 was to move him into a dual CB/CM role, where he would drop into defence off the ball, but step up and into a game breaking midfield role. Perhaps Bell gave him guarantees that he would indeed be playing some or most of the time in midfield which is what swayed him to come back?

He brings experience and most importantly leadership. He was team captain in his last few years at the Alex, even keeping it from Demetriou in 23-24. These 2 things are in short supply in the Alex's squad currently and they've ticked both boxes. Him being able to play at CB is a huge plus, especially given I've been crying out for them to add a player of his profile back there. Now should Demetriou go down, I'd be more than happy to see Offord anchor the defence and hold the fort until Mickey returns to fitness.

Conclusion

This is a great signing. It really is. He knows the club, the fans, the manager and a few of the players from 2 seasons ago. At just 26, he still has years of his best football in front of him. He adds durability, experience and leadership to a group that badly needs all 3. Whether he slots more into defence or midfield, this is a huge add and one I'm delighted with.

It should help soothe the nerves after Bell's press conference last week and allows us to start to feel optimistic about 26-27 and how it might go for the team. Welcome home Luke, fingers crossed your 2nd spell is as decent as your first!