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The Out of Contract Players – Whose Stayed and Whose Gone?

In the earlier article I stated that we ought to keep Russell Howarth at the club and I also predicted that he would stay.  Sadly this was not to be as he was released by the club shortly afterwards and has since found new employment at Tranmere’s League One rivals Bradford City.  This leaves Brian Little on the hunt for a new goalkeeper and with John Achterberg in such good form last season, its hard to see that we would be looking for anything other than a reserve – unless they real potential to oust John from the first team fold!

Released by Tranmere on the same day as Howarth was midfielder David Beresford who I had predicted would leave despite his revival in the final few games of the season.  Brian Little’s first signing for Tranmere rarely impressed when it mattered most and this is reflected in the Club’s decision to not offer him a new contract.

One of the more concerning departures of the close season so far is that of Rovers’ second top scorer last season, Paul Hall.  Hall left the Club last week to join fellow League One side Chesterfield with security for the future being cited as the main factor in his decision.  Tranmere offered recently voted by Total Tranmere readers as Brian Little’s best signing.  There can be no doubt that he should stay and I’m almost certain he will be offered a new contract by the club.  He may have offers from elsewhere but he would surely be up for having another shot at promotion with Rovers.

Of the other out of contract players, it seems likely that Jamaican pair Ian Goodison and Theo Whitmore will sign new contracts shortly when manager Brian Little returns from his holiday.  This will frustrate some Rovers fans who feel that Whitmore in particular has not performed well enough to earn another contract.

Arguably Tranmere’s player of the season, Mark Rankine is also still undecided about his future having been offered a new contract by Rovers.  Rankine, who turns 38 in September would be sorely missed if he did decide to move elsewhere or indeed retire from football altogether so the hope is that he will accept the contract offer that is on the table.

The final player who is definitely out of contract is youngster Paul Brown who has been excellent in the reserves this season and despite struggling in his home debut for the first team, he is still an excellent prospect.   There is no further news on his contract at the current time.

So three have already left and the future of four more is still uncertain but what effect will this have on the squad for next season?

Almost all Rovers fans agree, as the recent Total Tranmere poll shows, that the main priority for strengthening is a Striker but it is also widely thought that a creative midfielder is needed.  The departure of Howarth means a second goalkeeper is a necessity and the wing positions are open to strengthening following the departures of Hall and Beresford.

Potentially that’s five players needed over the summer but the question that all Rovers fans want to know is when is this going to happen?

It seems likely that July 1^st onwards will be the busiest time for clubs signing players as the contracts that currently apply will then expire.  Also as the time until the new season begins gets less and less, players demands may well become lower as they seek to find a new club quickly.  This would explain to some degree the delay that fans of many clubs have experienced in their clubs signing players.

Total Tranmere will keep you to date with all the transfer news as and when it happens so stay tuned!

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