I’d be lying if I’d said I’d heard of Jenson Seelt or Luis Hemir prior to us being linked with them, my knowledge of Jobe Bellingham goes about as far as Jude’s younger brother and if you’d told me last season that we'd bolster our defensive options with Nectarios Triantis, I’d be more inclined to believe that is a new element of our pre-match meal than it is a new centre-half.
Despite that, the four signings we’ve already made have filled me with a lot of hope for next season.
Firstly, we’ve added height. Although our football was joyous to watch last season, the lack of height in our team cost us so many points and, ultimately, the play-offs. Addressing this issue was huge and we’ve brought in players all over the pitch who are going to help with this.
Secondly, it’s great to see the club doing business early; whilst deadline day deals can often be bargains, and when bigger clubs do make last-minute decisions to send some promising talent out on loan, there’s no better way for a player to get up to speed with a new club than a full pre-season. Particularly with younger lads coming from overseas who have a language and culture to adapt to. This transition can be even harder for a player without much senior team experience, too. The likes of Amad and Michut are prime examples of how it can take time for a player to start thriving.
Most importantly, regardless of the previous reputation of our new recruits, I have confidence we would only target individuals who are capable of offering something to the squad. Trai Hume and Dennis Cirkin were two players we’d never heard of before, and who’d never played at the standard we signed them for, but look at the impact they’ve had. It’s also worth noting that when we have signed players since KLD took over the club and Kristjaan Speakman became Director of Football, they’ve rarely not been good enough. Not to say we’ve always had perfect windows, as we’ve left ourselves short at times, but when we have recruited, we tend to get it right. With the exception of Leon Dajaku and arguably Ron-Thorben Hoffman, I don’t think there’s a single player we’ve brought in who has disappointed.
Jewison Benette and Niall Huggins have yet to hit the ground running, but that’s not to say they won’t. Both have struggled with injuries, especially the latter, but have shown what they can do when given the opportunity.
There’s still plenty of work to do. I don’t think anyone would say no to a bit more experience, another centre-forward and a bit more depth for our flair players. There also every chance we may let some lads go, choose to loan some out and there is the ever-present risk of having our own talent poached.
Again, I claim to be no expert on any of the four new signings we’ve made, but if they are anything like the business we’ve done in recent years, we’ve certainly made a strong start to the window.
