Deadbat
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Tyrese Campbell His first season at the Lane, was largely a huge success. Took a while to get his fitness but then proved a key man, weighing in with a number of vital goals and showed his explosiveness and eye for a finish. He was quick over a few yards and was strong/could run un behind. He scored 10 goals in 33 games. His main issue was not being to last full games but there was a thought that if we got him a full pre-season, we could have a top striker. There was even talk linking him with some Premier League clubs. It seemed as if Stoke had dropped a rick allowing him to move on.
Fast forward a year and we are in a very different position. The fitness issues came even further to the fore but he also picked up an assortment of injuries, never seemed to in match condition as he piled on the pounds and his form for the most part never found the levels of the previous season.
He started the season slowly despite netting on opening day but seemed quite disinterested under Selles and definitely did not look sharp. After Widler got back, you thought he might find some confidence and be more of his old self but it never really clicked. There were moments –lovely finish v Southampton and of course, the two goals at Hillsborough as he continued to be a real thorn in Wednesday’s side. He did not score again until late February at QPR and in between he missed large spells though lack of form and injury. Bamford and even Cannon were preferred and he seemed a bit part player. He did get opportunities but it never really happened and even when he came on from the bench, he looked shattered quickly in cameos. He then got an injury and we did not see him again.
I thought that there were flashes of the old self but mostly games passed him by and he lacked the explosiveness to really cause teams problems. He has to get fit and show more motivation but then the history of his spell at Stoke, suggests it went the same way. Started well and then just faded for a number of seasons. He has a year left on his deal but we have gone from wanting to tie him down and thinking we could make a fair bit of money, if we did sell him on, to now that we probably would not even re-sign him. He is remarkably still only 26 but now has a huge summer and season ahead. If things continue in the current trajectory, he is going to move down the leagues. He has all the assets but maybe his body is such, he can never play full games but I do think he has to take the game more seriously. We will see but I think he is going to be a few down the pecking order now with Bamford, One coming back and probably at least another one coming in you would think.
Grade D+ (Last season B)
Patrick Bamford I cannot lie, when we were linked with him, I groaned. I thought it was another desperate signing of a player that was over the hill, injury prone and someone who was looking for a last pay out. I did not really care about his Leeds connections or even the spat with Wilder and the comments towards him. I just did not think he had much to offer anymore with a series of injury plagued seasons, poor goalscoring output and always found him quite an irritating player (dived/cheated) before. So, yes, I was not sold on it as a signing! I was ok with at least it being a temporary deal though so if he did not contribute, we could end it quickly. He had only scored 16 goals in 4 seasons and last season with Leeds barely played and did not score once. Leeds fans seemed to quite like him and clearly, he was a big personality. Maybe we needed the likes of him and Mee, after a poor start, to give some experienced heads. I was not sure he would be a regular, as felt Campbell was ahead of him and we were only playing one up top. Even Ings and Cannon had been playing games around the time he signed.
He came on after only being with us a week, against Wednesday and instantly showed his football intelligence and hold up. He set up chances and could have scored. He did net against Pompey on his home debut and then quite quickly after being used in a variety of combinations and outings from the bench, became our main striker. In the same way as when we signed McGoldrick, I realised I had totally underestimated his abilities as an actual footballer. This is a guy that had gone for a lot of money and played for England but recent form and observations were not favourable. Credit Wilder for signing him after their disagreements. He has done this with others such as Gary Madine before. He shocked me with how strong he was at holding it up, but he really impressed with his link play and his work rate – I always thought he was quite lazy. He got on a good scoring run showing his ability in front of goal with some sublime finishes (Wrexham away was a classy flick) and we saw his one-on-one finishing v Ipswich, Birmingham (away), Middlesbrough and against Wednesday. He still did miss a number of good chances, which Leeds fans told us about, but he would often score harder ones than easier finishes which is bizarre. He quickly became one of our best players and a regular pick (when not rested or picked up a few knocks) and played a lot more games than I anticipated. There was talk of other clubs being interested (he nearly went to Coventry who he trained with – before he signed for us) but we got him tied down to a longer deal and he will be here for another season at least. Overall, he showed lots of qualities and is a player that is easily top end Championship when fit and an asset to us, even if short term. He had a few quiet games and the diving is still there- saw it in a few games and stupidly got sent off, against Ipswich. I got it completely wrong and he is the sort of player you want around. Seems a decent lad but one of those you like if he plays for you, but cannot stand if he against you. We do need to compliment him as his track record suggests he will not necessarily stay fit and maybe the goals might dry up, but a return well into double figures, considering he came late, is excellent. One of our better players and signings in a season full of poor performances and poor signings.
Grade B (Last season NA)
Tom Cannon His impact was disappointing to say the least after he came in for a sizeable fee from Leicester in the previous January. He seemed to lack anything clear in terms of a quality – pace, power, heading ability, finishing, hold up play or runs in behind. I thought it must be just a confidence thing but as he played more games, mostly from the bench, I was still looking for what sort of player/striker he was. By the end of the season, I still was none the wiser and he looked a misfit, or a bad fit, as he never really got going. I wondered why we did not spend these funds on a defender especially when we had Campbell and Moore in the striking area. Moore did move on and we did not really recruit much attacking wise to replace him and you sensed Cannon would get more a of chance and hopefully add to only the one goal he had scored.
He has been involved a fair bit this season and only missed a few games through injury but yet again never made himself a first team regular. Did at least score a few but was literally that – only 5 scored. He had a run around Nov/Dec where he scored a long range shot to seal a memorable win at Wednesday and then a scrappy finish v Leicester but a few well taken one’s v Stoke and Leicester again – as most of his goals came against former clubs. I thought he was finding his feet and we saw a spell of games where he pressed and looked a player that was able to get n behind but he never really carried this on.
Did not score again until the Swansea draw and mostly was used sparingly after Xmas. The odd time he started, he never really took his chance and seemed pitifully weak in challenges. Player ragged him about easily and he lacked out and out pace. So, without pace, power and not a good header of the ball, we rely on him being a link man or someone to chase things but never realty saw this. I was hoping around the mid-season, he showed enough that we might recoup at least some of the big fee we paid but now I am not sure he would command much of a fee at all. Just seems a really expensive mistake and one we should try and move on from. He lacks a football brain and that on top of the lack of aggression means his main asset, is he can kick it quite hard. I expected him to provide something but he has not and I wonder whether Wilder is just persisting, to justify what we paid – which I felt he did with Brewster for a few seasons. If another Championship team gave us a couple of million, I would snatch their hand off. If this does not happen, I would hope he is a long way down the pecking order by the start of next season.
Grade E+ (Last season E-)
Ryan One One had shown flashes of real potential last season, scoring a winner against Bristol City but with more experienced strikers preferred which you could understand as we were in a promotion race. He always looked to have the raw skills – pace, power and could run. He looked to always cut inside and get his shot away and often a lot of his many goals in the u21’s came from such play. We had not been able to get him out on loan though and he remained on the fringes but when Selles came in was involved a lot in pre-season. He scored a few goals and played well from a wide position in a new formation. However, when the season started he was only used from the bench as United went with likes of Barry, O’Hare and Hamer in these wide positions. He came on from the bench but was hard for him to impress as we were often behind or chasing games. Recall him being almost a wing back in one game (Boro away) and some of the others he found it hard to get into games. Did not play after early November and then in January he finally was allowed out on loan – to Lincoln – which seemed a great move with them going for promotion. You just wondered if he would get enough game time but Wilder felt playing games that mattered and having to compete for a place would help him. He played a really big role as the Imps won the title and went on a brilliant run. He scored on his debut and whilst he was sort of rotated in and out, he popped up with a fair few goals and showed calmness to finish some one-on-one chances. He scored a late goal to help seal their promotion too.
We have seen United bring through players with similar pace/power and athletic ability – Jebbison and Osula and they both were sold for decent money – the latter is doing better and starting to fulfil their potential. I think United (and I am glad Wilder said as much end of the season) do see a big future for One. There have been big clubs linked with him even a few years ago after he had only been with United for a brief period. I expect him back around the first team squad and he will need a big pre-season to properly get himself in and around the first team squad. If he does not quite force his way in – then we can always send him out on loan to a League One side again for more experience. I hope he can make that next step and find the consistency to get game time with United. He had not even turned 20 yet so there is a lot of growth for him potentially.
Grade D (only played one United game) (Last season C)
Louie Marsh Always seen as a promising talent but things have been rather stop start. He has had loans at Doncaster, Fleetwood and now Falkirk but some of these have been ended by injuries. He seems like he struggles with the robustness of professional football – compared to development football where he always stood out. He has good ability on the ball but when he has had chances for the first team, I am not sure he has taken them and games have passed him by. He did play at Birmingham in the cup this season but found it hard going.
At Falkirk, the fans did like him and saw some of the ability – dribbling, vision, touch and eye for a goal – but he has to be more available and more consistent for a period. I thought he would be in and around our first team by now when I saw a fair bit of him for the academy sides but likes of Arblaster, Peck, Seriki and Brooks just gone past him now. A big season next time out with the loan we get him, being very important. He is 22 this summer but still has time on his side (contract wise) but will need another loan and needs to ensure he can stay fit and be consistent.
Grade E – only played one United game (Last season C-)
Danny Ings Ings has gone for 8 figure fees on three occasions and even as recently as 2023, West Ham paid in excess of 10 million pounds for him. He only made 11 starts in 2 seasons though and seemed like he was not quite the same player as before. He was never that quick but anticipated well and was a goalscorer. He relied on anticipation and getting in good areas. The Premier League has gone to a league where athleticism and pace are now so important but players like Chris Wood haves shown you can still be a factor without such things by scoring goals. Ings was released by West Ham but no club picked him up. He trained with United and they offered him a deal till the end of the season which seemed ok with us struggling and needing some experience and goals. He had a few sub appearances but then finally got a start at home to QPR and then did play at Hillsborough and should have scored but was lively alongside Campbell. He scored his first goal – a tap in – after missing numerous other easy chances versus Norwich. I recall him missing a few chances when he did come on but he did not make much of an impact from the bench when called upon.
Bamford got into the side and even when he did not play, Wilder went with Cannon and Campbell as alternative options. He played against Mansfield but struggled even against a League One side and then we barely saw him. He seemed to be a good pro and whilst Mee was sidelined, Ings was kept involved and then got a surprise start at Birmingham but had to be taken off due to us getting Serki sent off. He came on against Hull and surprisingly he scored with a control and finish – with his first two touches. This was like the Ings of old with an instinctive finish.
He will almost certainly leave and you wonder what next – same as the question posed of Mee and Davies. Players who will not have to take a big wage cut and even go to the bottom two divisions. Will he want to do that? He is only 33 which shocked me as he seems to have been around for ages but he definitely looks older when watching him play! His legs seem to have gone and he was often behind the play or could not get there/hold it up and meant he was sort of chasing things ineffectually. He did not really have the impact we would have hoped overall. He barely started and only scored 2 goals so another signing that you can understand why nobody else went in for him!
Grade E (Last season NA)
Others (not played/gone on loan/young players)
Next season
Bamford will be back as our number one striker and deserves that but you hope Campbell (if not moved on – but his value is lower than it would ever be – with a year left on his deal too) can find some of his old form and get fit. Cannon has still not convinced. We have youngsters coming back but One looks more ready physically than Marsh and will surely get a decent shot in pre-season to compete. I still think we lack physicality and pace up here. It is theme throughout the team. We have a lot of players that are functional but we need those attributes that hurt teams at this level. I would like personally us to see if we can find takers for Cannon – maybe give Campbell another shot but with short shrift and if he is not fit and firing, you move him on – even at the end of August maybe? We have One around pushing and we then bring two more in. A physical, tall type that means we can play a different way (talk of Lyndon Dykes is depressing – we do not need an average journeyman) and a real pacy striker that can run in and behind. Of course, budget restrictions will mean unless we move a few out here, we are not going to bring much in.
Player / Position Years remaining (contract expires) Red this year – Orange next year - Green longer contract –
Forwards
Danny Ings Out of contract (2026)
Tyrese Campbell 1 year (2027)
Patrick Bamford 1 year (2027)
Louis Marsh 2 years (2028)
Tom Cannon 3 years (2029)
Ryan One 3 years (2029)
Tyrese Campbell His first season at the Lane, was largely a huge success. Took a while to get his fitness but then proved a key man, weighing in with a number of vital goals and showed his explosiveness and eye for a finish. He was quick over a few yards and was strong/could run un behind. He scored 10 goals in 33 games. His main issue was not being to last full games but there was a thought that if we got him a full pre-season, we could have a top striker. There was even talk linking him with some Premier League clubs. It seemed as if Stoke had dropped a rick allowing him to move on.
Fast forward a year and we are in a very different position. The fitness issues came even further to the fore but he also picked up an assortment of injuries, never seemed to in match condition as he piled on the pounds and his form for the most part never found the levels of the previous season.
He started the season slowly despite netting on opening day but seemed quite disinterested under Selles and definitely did not look sharp. After Widler got back, you thought he might find some confidence and be more of his old self but it never really clicked. There were moments –lovely finish v Southampton and of course, the two goals at Hillsborough as he continued to be a real thorn in Wednesday’s side. He did not score again until late February at QPR and in between he missed large spells though lack of form and injury. Bamford and even Cannon were preferred and he seemed a bit part player. He did get opportunities but it never really happened and even when he came on from the bench, he looked shattered quickly in cameos. He then got an injury and we did not see him again.
I thought that there were flashes of the old self but mostly games passed him by and he lacked the explosiveness to really cause teams problems. He has to get fit and show more motivation but then the history of his spell at Stoke, suggests it went the same way. Started well and then just faded for a number of seasons. He has a year left on his deal but we have gone from wanting to tie him down and thinking we could make a fair bit of money, if we did sell him on, to now that we probably would not even re-sign him. He is remarkably still only 26 but now has a huge summer and season ahead. If things continue in the current trajectory, he is going to move down the leagues. He has all the assets but maybe his body is such, he can never play full games but I do think he has to take the game more seriously. We will see but I think he is going to be a few down the pecking order now with Bamford, One coming back and probably at least another one coming in you would think.
Grade D+ (Last season B)
Patrick Bamford I cannot lie, when we were linked with him, I groaned. I thought it was another desperate signing of a player that was over the hill, injury prone and someone who was looking for a last pay out. I did not really care about his Leeds connections or even the spat with Wilder and the comments towards him. I just did not think he had much to offer anymore with a series of injury plagued seasons, poor goalscoring output and always found him quite an irritating player (dived/cheated) before. So, yes, I was not sold on it as a signing! I was ok with at least it being a temporary deal though so if he did not contribute, we could end it quickly. He had only scored 16 goals in 4 seasons and last season with Leeds barely played and did not score once. Leeds fans seemed to quite like him and clearly, he was a big personality. Maybe we needed the likes of him and Mee, after a poor start, to give some experienced heads. I was not sure he would be a regular, as felt Campbell was ahead of him and we were only playing one up top. Even Ings and Cannon had been playing games around the time he signed.
He came on after only being with us a week, against Wednesday and instantly showed his football intelligence and hold up. He set up chances and could have scored. He did net against Pompey on his home debut and then quite quickly after being used in a variety of combinations and outings from the bench, became our main striker. In the same way as when we signed McGoldrick, I realised I had totally underestimated his abilities as an actual footballer. This is a guy that had gone for a lot of money and played for England but recent form and observations were not favourable. Credit Wilder for signing him after their disagreements. He has done this with others such as Gary Madine before. He shocked me with how strong he was at holding it up, but he really impressed with his link play and his work rate – I always thought he was quite lazy. He got on a good scoring run showing his ability in front of goal with some sublime finishes (Wrexham away was a classy flick) and we saw his one-on-one finishing v Ipswich, Birmingham (away), Middlesbrough and against Wednesday. He still did miss a number of good chances, which Leeds fans told us about, but he would often score harder ones than easier finishes which is bizarre. He quickly became one of our best players and a regular pick (when not rested or picked up a few knocks) and played a lot more games than I anticipated. There was talk of other clubs being interested (he nearly went to Coventry who he trained with – before he signed for us) but we got him tied down to a longer deal and he will be here for another season at least. Overall, he showed lots of qualities and is a player that is easily top end Championship when fit and an asset to us, even if short term. He had a few quiet games and the diving is still there- saw it in a few games and stupidly got sent off, against Ipswich. I got it completely wrong and he is the sort of player you want around. Seems a decent lad but one of those you like if he plays for you, but cannot stand if he against you. We do need to compliment him as his track record suggests he will not necessarily stay fit and maybe the goals might dry up, but a return well into double figures, considering he came late, is excellent. One of our better players and signings in a season full of poor performances and poor signings.
Grade B (Last season NA)
Tom Cannon His impact was disappointing to say the least after he came in for a sizeable fee from Leicester in the previous January. He seemed to lack anything clear in terms of a quality – pace, power, heading ability, finishing, hold up play or runs in behind. I thought it must be just a confidence thing but as he played more games, mostly from the bench, I was still looking for what sort of player/striker he was. By the end of the season, I still was none the wiser and he looked a misfit, or a bad fit, as he never really got going. I wondered why we did not spend these funds on a defender especially when we had Campbell and Moore in the striking area. Moore did move on and we did not really recruit much attacking wise to replace him and you sensed Cannon would get more a of chance and hopefully add to only the one goal he had scored.
He has been involved a fair bit this season and only missed a few games through injury but yet again never made himself a first team regular. Did at least score a few but was literally that – only 5 scored. He had a run around Nov/Dec where he scored a long range shot to seal a memorable win at Wednesday and then a scrappy finish v Leicester but a few well taken one’s v Stoke and Leicester again – as most of his goals came against former clubs. I thought he was finding his feet and we saw a spell of games where he pressed and looked a player that was able to get n behind but he never really carried this on.
Did not score again until the Swansea draw and mostly was used sparingly after Xmas. The odd time he started, he never really took his chance and seemed pitifully weak in challenges. Player ragged him about easily and he lacked out and out pace. So, without pace, power and not a good header of the ball, we rely on him being a link man or someone to chase things but never realty saw this. I was hoping around the mid-season, he showed enough that we might recoup at least some of the big fee we paid but now I am not sure he would command much of a fee at all. Just seems a really expensive mistake and one we should try and move on from. He lacks a football brain and that on top of the lack of aggression means his main asset, is he can kick it quite hard. I expected him to provide something but he has not and I wonder whether Wilder is just persisting, to justify what we paid – which I felt he did with Brewster for a few seasons. If another Championship team gave us a couple of million, I would snatch their hand off. If this does not happen, I would hope he is a long way down the pecking order by the start of next season.
Grade E+ (Last season E-)
Ryan One One had shown flashes of real potential last season, scoring a winner against Bristol City but with more experienced strikers preferred which you could understand as we were in a promotion race. He always looked to have the raw skills – pace, power and could run. He looked to always cut inside and get his shot away and often a lot of his many goals in the u21’s came from such play. We had not been able to get him out on loan though and he remained on the fringes but when Selles came in was involved a lot in pre-season. He scored a few goals and played well from a wide position in a new formation. However, when the season started he was only used from the bench as United went with likes of Barry, O’Hare and Hamer in these wide positions. He came on from the bench but was hard for him to impress as we were often behind or chasing games. Recall him being almost a wing back in one game (Boro away) and some of the others he found it hard to get into games. Did not play after early November and then in January he finally was allowed out on loan – to Lincoln – which seemed a great move with them going for promotion. You just wondered if he would get enough game time but Wilder felt playing games that mattered and having to compete for a place would help him. He played a really big role as the Imps won the title and went on a brilliant run. He scored on his debut and whilst he was sort of rotated in and out, he popped up with a fair few goals and showed calmness to finish some one-on-one chances. He scored a late goal to help seal their promotion too.
We have seen United bring through players with similar pace/power and athletic ability – Jebbison and Osula and they both were sold for decent money – the latter is doing better and starting to fulfil their potential. I think United (and I am glad Wilder said as much end of the season) do see a big future for One. There have been big clubs linked with him even a few years ago after he had only been with United for a brief period. I expect him back around the first team squad and he will need a big pre-season to properly get himself in and around the first team squad. If he does not quite force his way in – then we can always send him out on loan to a League One side again for more experience. I hope he can make that next step and find the consistency to get game time with United. He had not even turned 20 yet so there is a lot of growth for him potentially.
Grade D (only played one United game) (Last season C)
Louie Marsh Always seen as a promising talent but things have been rather stop start. He has had loans at Doncaster, Fleetwood and now Falkirk but some of these have been ended by injuries. He seems like he struggles with the robustness of professional football – compared to development football where he always stood out. He has good ability on the ball but when he has had chances for the first team, I am not sure he has taken them and games have passed him by. He did play at Birmingham in the cup this season but found it hard going.
At Falkirk, the fans did like him and saw some of the ability – dribbling, vision, touch and eye for a goal – but he has to be more available and more consistent for a period. I thought he would be in and around our first team by now when I saw a fair bit of him for the academy sides but likes of Arblaster, Peck, Seriki and Brooks just gone past him now. A big season next time out with the loan we get him, being very important. He is 22 this summer but still has time on his side (contract wise) but will need another loan and needs to ensure he can stay fit and be consistent.
Grade E – only played one United game (Last season C-)
Danny Ings Ings has gone for 8 figure fees on three occasions and even as recently as 2023, West Ham paid in excess of 10 million pounds for him. He only made 11 starts in 2 seasons though and seemed like he was not quite the same player as before. He was never that quick but anticipated well and was a goalscorer. He relied on anticipation and getting in good areas. The Premier League has gone to a league where athleticism and pace are now so important but players like Chris Wood haves shown you can still be a factor without such things by scoring goals. Ings was released by West Ham but no club picked him up. He trained with United and they offered him a deal till the end of the season which seemed ok with us struggling and needing some experience and goals. He had a few sub appearances but then finally got a start at home to QPR and then did play at Hillsborough and should have scored but was lively alongside Campbell. He scored his first goal – a tap in – after missing numerous other easy chances versus Norwich. I recall him missing a few chances when he did come on but he did not make much of an impact from the bench when called upon.
Bamford got into the side and even when he did not play, Wilder went with Cannon and Campbell as alternative options. He played against Mansfield but struggled even against a League One side and then we barely saw him. He seemed to be a good pro and whilst Mee was sidelined, Ings was kept involved and then got a surprise start at Birmingham but had to be taken off due to us getting Serki sent off. He came on against Hull and surprisingly he scored with a control and finish – with his first two touches. This was like the Ings of old with an instinctive finish.
He will almost certainly leave and you wonder what next – same as the question posed of Mee and Davies. Players who will not have to take a big wage cut and even go to the bottom two divisions. Will he want to do that? He is only 33 which shocked me as he seems to have been around for ages but he definitely looks older when watching him play! His legs seem to have gone and he was often behind the play or could not get there/hold it up and meant he was sort of chasing things ineffectually. He did not really have the impact we would have hoped overall. He barely started and only scored 2 goals so another signing that you can understand why nobody else went in for him!
Grade E (Last season NA)
Others (not played/gone on loan/young players)
Next season
Bamford will be back as our number one striker and deserves that but you hope Campbell (if not moved on – but his value is lower than it would ever be – with a year left on his deal too) can find some of his old form and get fit. Cannon has still not convinced. We have youngsters coming back but One looks more ready physically than Marsh and will surely get a decent shot in pre-season to compete. I still think we lack physicality and pace up here. It is theme throughout the team. We have a lot of players that are functional but we need those attributes that hurt teams at this level. I would like personally us to see if we can find takers for Cannon – maybe give Campbell another shot but with short shrift and if he is not fit and firing, you move him on – even at the end of August maybe? We have One around pushing and we then bring two more in. A physical, tall type that means we can play a different way (talk of Lyndon Dykes is depressing – we do not need an average journeyman) and a real pacy striker that can run in and behind. Of course, budget restrictions will mean unless we move a few out here, we are not going to bring much in.
Player / Position Years remaining (contract expires) Red this year – Orange next year - Green longer contract –
Forwards
Danny Ings Out of contract (2026)
Tyrese Campbell 1 year (2027)
Patrick Bamford 1 year (2027)
Louis Marsh 2 years (2028)
Tom Cannon 3 years (2029)
Ryan One 3 years (2029)
