Got, got, need! Assessing Cambridge United’s early preparation for their first season back in League One

Cambridge United’s promotion celebrations will be fresh in the mind of every fan, but Mark Bonner and his coaching staff have long since been preparing for the club’s return to the third tier.

This began with the retained list, which unsurprisingly posed more questions than answers. Despite his spectacular efforts towards the latter end of the 2020/21 campaign, Callum Burton was not offered a new contract. The 24-year-old departed the club for Plymouth, as did youngster Joe Neal, who has not yet found his next club.

Adam May had a one-year extension clause triggered, while Leon Davies accepted a new six-month deal to support his recovery from hip surgery.

The rest of those not under contract for the following campaign were offered new deals, while all the loanees returned to their parent clubs. There was a real sense of optimism that the U’s would be able to keep ahold to the core of their promotion-winning squad.

And that they did. Three of the club’s stalwarts – Liam O’Neil, Harrison Dunk and club captain Greg Taylor – all penned new one-year contracts. Defensive midfielder Paul Digby followed shortly after, despite rumours linking him with League One heavyweights Charlton Athletic and Sunderland.

But the news of Wes Hoolahan accepting a new deal was undoubtedly the most welcome. The 39-year-old managed an impressive tally of seven goals and nine assists in just 34 League Two games last season. The Norwich City legend hinted that he would be hanging up his boots, but couldn’t resist one more campaign with the U’s in League One.

Unfortunately, that’s where the good news came to an end. Luke Hannant was seen as one of the more likely candidates to sign a new contract with the club, but ultimately turned down the U’s offer to join League Two outfit Colchester United. While he would likely have been a bit-part player in the third tier, his decision to leave The Abbey was seen as a major shock.

The departure of Kyle Knoyle, however, was not. The 24-year-old’s impressive performances saw him feature in the League Two Team of the Year, and a contract offer from Doncaster Rovers presented a more appealing opportunity than staying with the U’s.

Paul Mullin’s departure also felt inevitable, having rejected a new deal with Cambridge after finishing as League Two’s top scorer with an astonishing 32 goals. While the former Tranmere striker is yet to officially sign with a new club, he won’t be short of offers from across the Football League. Charlton’s interest is reportedly the strongest, but a move back up north seems to be the most likely outcome.

Of course, this left Cambridge’s squad looking rather thin. After all, the U’s operated with quite a small squad in their promotion-winning campaign but were lucky to avoid any major long-term injuries. The priority had to be replacing the key players who left the squad as soon as possible.

With just one centre-back in the squad, defensive reinforcement was key. Lloyd Jones, who spent last season on loan with Northampton, was the first man through the door at The Abbey. The Liverpool academy graduate was highly regarded by fans and pundits alike despite the Cobblers’ relegation, and securing his signature after leaving parent club Luton was seen as quite a coup.

James Brophy soon followed, having departed Leyton Orient at the end of his contract at Brisbane Road. The 26-year-old seems a natural fit following the departure of Hannant and is likely to nail down his position on the left flank of Cambridge’s lineup next season.

But he will face significant competition for a place out wide following the arrivals of Shilow Tracey and Jack Lankester. Tracey spent the second half of last season on loan with the U’s and joined the club on a permanent basis following his release from Tottenham.

Lankester, on the other hand, arrives with significant pedigree for such a young player. The Ipswich Town academy graduate scored three goals in 28 appearances for the Tractor Boys, having played in the Championship and League One. At just 21-years-old, his worrying injury record can be overlooked as a result of his significant potential.

Right-back George Williams is the most recent signing for Mark Bonner’s side. Having spend the vast majority of his career with MK Dons, the 28-year-old joined Bristol Rovers in January 2021. Rather than sticking with Joey Barton’s side in League Two, Williams accepted a deal to remain in League One with Cambridge, providing a direct replacement for Knoyle.

The U’s transfer business so far indicates that Bonner will look to change his tactics upon winning promotion. The 35-year-old favoured a 4-4-2 for the majority of the campaign before changing to a diamond formation for the run-in. It now looks as if Cambridge will adopt a 4-2-3-1 system as they prepare for the step-up to League One.

Hoolahan had been forced out wide to accommodate a flat 4-4-2 formation, but it became clear that he was much more comfortable playing centrally. Flanked by Brophy and Lankester, the U’s have strong attacking options in their possession, all of whom should feel comfortable playing in the third tier.

Bonner has been encouraging his team to spread out their goal contribution rather than focusing on a sole talisman for their attacking success as they did with Mullin. Joe Ironside will need to make the step up, having managed 14 goals in League Two last season. Whether he can manage to lead the line on his own is another matter.

Harvey Knibbs and Andy Dallas provide alternatives to Ironside, although their respective goalscoring records are fairly underwhelming. Knibbs failed to nail down a regular place in the U’s lineup last season, while Dallas scored 12 goals in 25 games in a loan spell with Weymouth, leading to rumours linking him with Notts County.

Bonner highlighted a replacement for Mullin as a key area in terms of Cambridge’s summer recruitment, with a proven League One striker needed to spearhead their attack. From there, the U’s strongest starting lineup names itself. The next job is to improve the rather feeble squad depth, and the club are reportedly targeting at least three more signings to make that happen.

There is limited competition in midfield based on the current squad. May will likely be an understudy to a midfield partnership of O’Neil and Digby, but an extra option in case of injuries would be ideal. Hiram Boateng would be an impressive signing after his spectacular his loan spell at The Abbey, with parent club MK Dons making him available for transfer.

There is a similar problem in defence, with just senior two centre-backs available to Bonner. Like Boateng, Jubril Okedina (Tottenham Hotspur) and Declan Drysdale (Coventry City) impressed on loan at Cambridge last season, and the U’s could do worse than enquiring about bringing them back for another season. Backups for the right-back and goalkeeper position will undoubtedly also be on the club’s shopping list.

Ultimately, Cambridge have succeeded in their most important job – keeping the core of the promotion-winning squad together. Mullin and Knoyle are both irreplaceable, but the priority has to be to maintain the winning mentality that was instilled throughout the club last season.

Bonner previously stated that he wanted the majority of his side’s transfer business to be complete by the time the players returned for pre-season training. But there’s still a lot of work to be done before Cambridge kickoff against Oxford on August 7.

A training camp in Cardiff followed by games against Brentford, QPR and Northampton Town will provide stern tests and an opportunity to introduce a new crop of players to the squad.

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