Grant, McGeouch and Godden: League One’s new stars
The new League One season begins today, and many League One clubs have been busy in the transfer window.
While Sunderland have been rebuilding their squad after two consecutive relegations, newly promoted clubs like Luton and Blackpool have been attempting to recruit experience and quality for the challenges of the new division.
Sides like Charlton and Peterborough, meanwhile, have been trying to break their long spells in the division through some shrewd additions.
Here, I profile five new signings to look out for this weekend.
Dylan McGeouch
McGeouch was linked with a number of Championship clubs, as well as Steven Gerrard’s Rangers, after the expiry of his contract at Hibernian. But the former Celtic midfielder, 25, decided to make a short trip south of the border to Sunderland instead, persuaded by new manager Jack Ross as well as the club’s top-notch facilities.
The midfielder, who won his first Scotland cap in May, made 92 league appearances for Hibs and played in the final as his team claimed the 2016 Scottish Cup. His creativity, passing and running in midfield make him a central part of Sunderland’s rebuilding mission in their first season for thirty years in the third tier.
Matt Godden
The pressure on Godden will be intense as he steps into the boots of departing League One top scorer Jack Marriott at Peterborough. But after a meandering career which has seen him play in every division from the Championship to the Northern Premier League South, he has earned his shot at the big time.
Thirty goals in two seasons for Stevenage have earned the 26-year-old his six-figure move to Posh, who have been recruiting heavily this summer. With Godden just one of twelve new permanent signings as Peterborough make use of the Marriott fee, a higher league placing than last year’s 9th is surely expected.
Jorge Grant
Grant claimed 15 goals in League Two last season for Notts County and was named in the division’s team of the year, leading some to speculate that he would be given a first-team chance at parent club Nottingham Forest. Instead, he has been tasked with making a similar impact in League One, with a season-long loan at Luton Town.
The newly-promoted Hatters lost Olly Lee to Hearts over the summer, and Grant’s task will be to replace Lee as a stabilising and creative presence in the Luton midfield. A goal against his former club, County, in a pre-season friendly bodes well for a comfortable transition into League One.
Luke Hyam
Hyam’s 15-year association with Ipswich finally came to an end in the summer as he signed for Chris Powell’s Southend United on a free transfer, after 146 appearances for the club. The 25-year-old made 17 appearances in the Championship last season, and should have the quality to become one of the best midfielders in League One next season if he beds in well at his new club.
The midfielder has struggled with injuries in the past and will have to stay fit to thrive at Roots Hall. But with some smart new signings and one of the best managers in the division, his new club could well find themselves in the promotion picture at the end of the season.
Gavin Whyte
Whyte represents something of a gamble for Oxford, having moved for an undisclosed fee from Crusaders, in Northern Ireland. But the winger, 22, arrives on the back of a superb season in which he scored 23 goals on his way to his third league title and won the Northern Ireland’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards.
Oxford boss Karl Robinson praised Whyte’s pace and skill on his arrival in Oxford in July, as well as his eye for goal. The player is in line for an international debut too, after travelling with the Northern Ireland squad to Central America in May, and has the potential to have a big impact this season.