OPINION: Shuffling the pack

The transfer window is barely a week old, but the club is already starting to get its house in order.

It’s been a largely positive, yet necessary start, which has seen a number of fringe players shipped out in order to free up the budget required to strengthen.

However, while the decks are being cleared, fans shouldn’t expect an immediate flood of replacements. The reality of a notoriously difficult January market is that permanent signings are rare unless you are willing to pay a premium – and that is something we simply cannot afford to do.

Given budgets are tight, Iron boss Andy Butler will likely be scouring the loan market and that usually takes time. Football League clubs naturally want their own replacements through the door before sanctioning exits, meaning the players that can make a real difference to our promotion chances might not be available until the dominos start to fall later in the month.

To ensure we are ready to move when those players do become available, the focus so far has been on generating budget and trimming the fat. Nowhere is this clearer than in the departure of Kian Scales to Radcliffe.

A mainstay of our National League North side, Scales has effectively become a victim of the team’s own success. His exit is the biggest indication yet of just how quickly the squad is evolving, and the wheeling and dealing Butler is undertaking to freshen up the ranks.

Although his temporary exit has raised a few eyebrows, moving Scales on allows resources to be redirected to areas of greater need. His engine and commitment have never been in doubt, but with Rowley, Ewing, and Westbrooke excelling – and Alfie Beestin nearing a return – the path to the first team was blocked, particularly in the short term.

Scales has played fewer than 100 league minutes since November, and a stint in the National League North under a decent management team is the perfect opportunity for him to gain minutes and regain some form, with every chance of returning to Glanford Park later in the season ready to contribute.

Butler’s measured approach also reflects the wider financial reality. Forest Green Rovers’ capture of Ricardo Rees from Merthyr Town is a stark reminder of what the Iron are competing with at the top end of the National League table.

Whilst the transfer fee for the proven goalscorer is rumoured to have been surprisingly modest, the overall package is likely to have been significant given Rees turned down interest from the Football League to join Robbie Savage’s side in Gloucestershire.

Whilst we cannot and will not compete with the kind of spending power the National League’s big hitters possess, Butler has focused on working smarter.

Mark Beck’s recall from Alfreton, followed by a subsequent loan to Gateshead, is a perfect example. Loaning him to a club with a bigger budget likely reduces the financial burden on us and allows Beck to move closer to home. Unlike Scales, Beck’s departure feels as though it may become permanent. With his contract expiring in the summer and having found game time limited since joining the club last January, the loan move likely clears the path for his next chapter.

Billy Chadwick returning to York City and Dubem Eze’s move to Sutton have also given Butler a little extra financial flexibility. Eze’s loan spell from Bolton will be remembered for that extraordinary 15-minute burst against Peterborough Sports, but aside from that, he offered very little.

Sutton United taking him permanently has effectively done us a favour and gives Eze the opportunity to kick start his career closer to home, whilst Bolton have netted an unlikely undisclosed fee for his services.

With the fringe trimmed and a small but workable budget created, attention now turns to securing current loans and additional targets.

Zain Westbrooke, currently on loan from Doncaster Rovers, has shown his quality of late and it would be a huge blow if he were to leave the club during the window. Securing him, even just until the end of the season, would argubaly have as much impact as any new signing. His initial loan deal is up next week and whilst there is reported interest from League Two clubs, talks are ongoing to determine whether that can be extended.

Elsewhere Tyrell Sellars-Fleming’s short-term future is still no clearer. His loan from Hull City also expires at the end of next week, and a number of League Two teams including Grimsby Town are said to be interested.

The player reportedly wants to test himself in the EFL, and his form has dipped slightly since the rumours began to circulate. If he departs, replacing his pace and dynamism will be Butler’s biggest challenge and a winger will likely be high on the list of targets to secure before the end of the month.

One positive is the extension of Rory Mahady’s youth loan. Leeds have facilitated the extension by an extra month and whilst fans have expressed concern that there is a risk he may leave before the end of the season, it seems unlikely the Premier Leauge side would recall the Scottish youth international if he is playing regularly in a side at the top of the National League table.

Ultimately, this week was about sensible housekeeping. With a leaner squad and a little more budget to play with, the foundation is there. We might have to play the waiting game for EFL loans, but Butler’s track record suggests he will identify players that will imrpove the group and that it will be worth the wait.

If he can successfully reinvest the savings into one or two quality additions, we will be well-equipped for a second successive promotion push.