What a difference a day makes - 2 in at Crewe Alex

It's not often we get treated to 2 signings in 1 day at Crewe Alex. But July 24th 2025 was such a day, as the Alex transformed their attack from threadbare to well stocked by bringing in 2 long time targets in Louis Moult and Emre Tezgel. Both are at very different stages of their footballing journeys, with Moult coming into his last few good years and Tezgel only just getting going. Both will likely bring different skills to the table. So, what to make of them? And with them both secured, where does that leave the club in terms of the transfer market? Here is my 3 point breakdown of each player and the clubs remaining needs.

Emre Tezgel

The Alex have been rumoured to have been after Tezgel for 12-24 months now. He enjoyed a highly productive spell at MK Dons in 23-24. Despite only appearing in 17 games, of which only 5 were starts, he scored 4 goals and assisted 3 others. For whatever reason, he didn't make a loan move last season, instead appearing 12 times for the Potters in the Championship and mostly being used in their U21s team, where he scored a ridiculous 11 goals in 5 games.

Now, there are 2 sides to Tezgel's move. If he's as good as we are led to believe, then he absolutely won't be at the Alex for the full season. If he has bagged 10-20 goal contributions come January, then Stoke will likely recall him as they did with Nathan Lowe and Walsall in the middle of last season. Should we as fans hope for some moderately good performances up until January and then once the recall window shuts, hope he turns on the afterburners?

Or maybe the club are planning for a recall? Lankester will be fully fit by then, we'll have a better idea of how Holicek's injury is progressing and we could well be seeing Tracey return as well. They might not even need Tezgel, although if he's become that integral to the side, losing him would still be a big blow.

Another question is now about where he plays. Stoke have not loaned him out for him to be sat on the bench, so I would wager he almost certainly starts against Salford. But where? The Alex mentioned in their press release that he can play as an out and out forward or in a deeper position. Does that signal a 4-2-3-1, with him in behind March and flanked by Agius and O'Reilly? If so, who of Thomas, Sanders and Lunt miss out? It's an interesting and good problem to have. Either way, his addition looks to be a real positive one.

Louis Moult

Everyone is cock-a-hoop about Moult and to a certain extent, I get it. He's vastly experienced, has a number of seasons where he's hit double figures and he should add nous and physicality to their front line. However, isn't this exactly what we said about Kane Hemmings 12 months ago? They are only a month apart in age after all and have similar CVs and are a similar profile of striker.

Moult did look lively in the early pre-season games, but against part time teams, so you don't read much into that. He did score 18 goals in 23-24 for Dundee in the Scottish Championship, but then the player that scored the most goals in that league the season before, Dipo Akinyemi, moved to the National League the following season. Ruari Paton, who finished 1 goal behind Moult in that season's goalscoring charts, moved to Port Vale last season and scored just 1 goal.

Now, maybe a move back home to Stoke-on-Trent will be to Moult's liking. Training and playing 30 minutes down the road will be nice I'm sure. And I'm not for one second writing him off. I just think I'm a little bit whelmed by this signing. Not underwhelmed, as he could have plenty of gas left in the tank and be a useful bench option or rotational starter to provide 5 ish goals. But not overwhelmed into thinking he'll relive his peak at Motherwell from 8-10 years ago either. I'm keeping my expectations modest.

What's Next?

We as football fans always get greedy for the next signing. Even after 2 through the door, attention now switches to other areas of weakness. So, what's next? Well here is the latest squad depth chart:

Now, we assume the injuries to Tracey and Tabiner are long term, to Holicek is medium term and the ones to Lankester and Thibaut are more short term. So, let's tick off the various positions.

At goalkeeper, they are set. Maybe there are doubts about Booth from some fans, but the club are heavy believers in him and he'll start on the opening day barring injury. If he falters, Waller will step in. At LB, they seem fine also.

But on the other side of the pitch, not so much. Why so many fans seem content with Billington being the de facto RB and having no competition, I don't know. He's made just 21 and 16 starts in the last 2 seasons. Expecting 30-45 out of him this season seems a heck of a jump. And let's be real, if Stan Dancey is stepping in for any concerted period of time, I'd be concerned. Still, the rumours are that they might be grabbing another Stoke player to compete at this spot and if it is said player, he looks extremely promising.

Then I'll keep saying it, but relying on Demetriou as the only experienced CB is a recipe for disaster. If he goes down, are we really saying a back 2 of Connolly and Croker/Dancey can hold the fort for any length of time? What happens if they want to switch to a back 3? No chance without another CB.

And as an aside, I don't count any possible Zac Williams return as part of this equation either. He's experienced, but he's not remotely reliable. I've said it before, but this CB group is not enough to carry them through until January. It simply isn't.

In midfield, the depth could disappear quickly if/when a Thomas injury strikes. But then, with the new additions and the likely returns of Lankester and Holicek in the coming weeks, should they switch to a 4-2-3-1, then that lessens the need to have 4-5 starting calibre CMs available on any given week. So for now they are fine in this area.

What about in the attacking positions, be that winger, attacking mid or striker? Well, looking at the above chart, they do seem fine in that area, although there are still heavy rumours that Dion Rankine is due to sign or possibly a winger/wing back from another L2 club instead. Whether they come to pass or not, we'll have to wait and see.

Conclusion

So, let's wrap this up. If the rumours of the RB and winger come to fruition, as both would be loans, that would be their maximum allowed. It would leave them in my opinion with just the CB to add to. But with no loan slots left and surely not much budget still knocking around, their options would be severely limited. What comes next in what has been a topsy turvy transfer window for the Alex so far, I don't know.