Good Player, Bad Situation: League Two
Ali Maxwell builds a shortlist of transfer targets from players nobody is talking about.
Across the EFL, there are lots of good players. Some of them are obvious, because they’re performing well in a team towards the top of the division, and therefore enjoy the spotlight that comes with a lofty league position. These are good players in good situations. Others are obvious because their numbers pop, blinking like beacons in graphs and scatterplots. Their output makes the work of scouts and analysts easy. These are good players in any situation.
Then there are good players in bad situations. Bright lights hidden under bushels of circumstance. But what might those circumstances be?
Exhibits A through F
How about a player who, in their first four full seasons as a senior player, never finished higher than 19th? That would be Jack Rudoni, then of Wimbledon and Huddersfield, and now a leading light for Coventry in the Championship.
How about a player in a rut of injuries after a long spell at one underperforming football club? Or another whose team survived in the Championship only by the thinnest margin? That would be the Sheffield United pair of Michael Cooper and Tyrese Campbell, signed from Plymouth Argyle and Stoke respectively.
Drop down a level. Lloyd Jones and Kayne Ramsay were key players for Charlton in 2024/25. They were signed from Cambridge and Harrogate. And then Addicks went up a level.
Or take the striker who scored 11 times for the team that dropped out of the EFL altogether. Harry Smith had been relegated with Sutton United. Swindon brought him in, and last season, only 6 League Two players scored more goals than him.
And now…
I’m going to highlight some good players at low-finishing clubs. Now, the “bad situation” doesn’t mean a bad club – it doesn’t even have to mean an underperforming club. I am referring to the situations that may prevent a genuinely good player from performing at their best. We all did those experiments at school where cress is deprived of light and water. This piece is about which players could kick on with the right growing conditions.
These are players who aren’t generating much buzz this summer but could feasibly contribute to a strong side, relative to the level. Players who have skillsets and profiles that could translate well into good, functioning teams. Players who could contribute to success, or even promotions.
Here, I’m going to focus on League Two, where the players are lesser known, less expensive and more likely to be available. For clubs that can show a bit of vision and conviction, there is huge scope to buy in front of the rise.
8 Good Players in Bad Situations
From the relegated clubs, Matthew Dennis has already stepped up from Carlisle to Notts County, and he’s a good example of what we’re talking about. His team-mate, Kadeem Harris, has been offered a contract by Carlisle but can leave on a free.
Harris joined the Cumbrians in November after three years playing in Ukraine and Turkey, and he was a standout performer. One of the few Carlisle players to welcome attacking responsibility (including from wing-back on occasion), Harris showed plenty of quality and could be one of the top wingers at the level if he joins a promotion candidate.
I think Callum Jones should be of interest on a free transfer. Jones was on loan with Morecambe from Hull City, who have released him. In each of the last two seasons, Jones has played for the team finishing bottom of League Two. His next club will surely be higher up — Jones is a central midfielder who is sprightly, has quality on the ball and loves to get on second balls.
Accrington have two players I’d be watching closely. Tyler Walton is a late bloomer, having just completed his first EFL season aged 26. Walton’s 7 goals and 8 assists may not bounce off the page, but that equates to 0.53 goal contributions per 90 for the team that finished 21st (and he also hit the woodwork three times). On top of that, he’s a good size and competes well aerially, while also being quick and hard-working and able to play in multiple attacking roles, with a shotmap that suggests he understands how and where to score goals.
With this first professional season under his belt, I wouldn’t be surprised if Walton takes a big jump next season. I think there could be value in a top-half League Two club testing Accy’s resolve just one year after they nabbed him from Southport.
Accrington have another player I like a lot, in Ben Woods. The 22-year-old has come a long way in his two years with the club. He can play at left-back or left wing-back, where his cultured left foot comes into its own by delivering quality crosses, but it’s in central midfield where he excelled last season.
Woods has the technical ability to stand out in a strong team at the level, and doesn’t fall down on the physical nor defensive sides of the game. Plus: 8 goals and 7 assists from a mixture of LWB and CM? Yes please.
A Notts County, a Chesterfield or a Walsall should be all over this fantastic skillset and player profile, but Accy have done well to lock Woods down until 2027.
Sam Gale of Gillingham seems like an absolute defensive monster at 20 years old: quick, strong and bang up for the meat-and-potatoes stuff. Gale’s technical ability hasn’t been demonstrated to the same extent, and with Gareth Ainsworth in charge, it’s unlikely to be. But he is the sort of player that a Lincoln City or a Stevenage should be trying to sign before he gets out of their price range.
Cheltenham have Jordan Thomas and Ethon Archer, who both stepped up very well from non-league to be their star attacking players last season. Clubs will see Luke Molyneux-type potential in Thomas. He plays off the right, takes a lot of shots with his left foot, and he has already proven that he can put those chances away.
Archer is a little younger, at 22, and possibly more well-rounded. As an inverted winger playing off the left, he scored 7 goals and made 6 assists in his first season in the EFL, starting 42 of 46 games. That’s speedy progression, showing no sign of slowing anytime soon. He’s great 1v1 and has a knack for winning fouls. There’s a big season ahead for both players.
Finally, and with apologies to Barrow fans, I’d love to see Kian Spence playing for a bottom-half League One / top-half League Two team. Over two great seasons, the 24-year-old has proven that he has what it takes to add impressive energy, ball-winning and goal threat from midfield. There were a couple of beauties amongst his 5-goal tally, too, and he’s just a great all-rounder who could really kick on.
The list in full:
Kadeem Harris (Carlisle)
Callum Jones (Free – previously Morecambe, on loan from Hull)
Tyler Walton (Accrington)
Ben Woods (Accrington)
Sam Gale (Gillingham)
Jordan Thomas (Cheltenham)
Ethon Archer (Cheltenham)
Kian Spence (Barrow)
Let’s keep an eye on these eight names and see how many of them prove themselves to be good players in bad situations.
Very cool article
I think Cheltenham are resigned to losing both Thomas and Archer. A bid from Stevenage for Archer has already been turned down (cos it was well below a bid received from MK in Jan), and Thomas has a £250k release clause and plenty of interest.