Five League Two strikers who could available this month

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We’re halfway through the January transfer window yet it’s likely we haven’t got to the same point in terms of the volume of players who will find new clubs this month. 

With so many clubs, including Tranmere, on the hunt for new forwards, we take a look at five players who may be available this month.

Strikers are always highly sought after, and this month sees a host of clubs desperately hunting for forwards to add to their ranks. Tranmere are most definitely among them, with Micky Mellon’s goal-shy squad in desperate need of some fresh blood at the top end of the pitch.

It’s been a strange month so far in terms of transfers, certainly were Rovers are concerned anyway. That looks like continuing in the wider scope of League Two, with two of the top four scorers in the league potentially surplus to requirements.

So, with no direct speculation linking these players to any clubs in particular, here are five who may be available this month.

Danny Johnson – Mansfield Town

It’s all been a little strange this season as far as the saga of Mansfield’s Danny Johnson goes. The 29-year-old forward was deemed surplus to requirements at Field Mill last summer and so a permanent transfer to Walsall looked all but agreed. However, Mansfield were nervous of selling their forward to a potential promotion rival and so the deal was made into a loan one. 

Johnson hit a hat-trick on his Saddlers debut and never really looked back, scoring his 15th goal of the season in Walsall’s 1-1 draw at Tranmere on Saturday. That turned out to be the final goal (and game) of his loan spell as he was recalled by Mansfield yesterday as they were entitled to do so. 

It remains to be seen if Johnson will be in the reckoning to play for the Stags, but manager Nigel Clough certainly did not seem overly confident he would be in his most recent comments. It’s important to note, if Mansfield do play Johnson this month and then he is subsequently able to leave, he will only be able to play for Walsall due to only being allowed to play for two clubs in a season.

It looks like Johnson will be sitting on the sidelines until a move out can be agreed. Walsall remain in talks to try and get their man permanently, but the likes of Colchester are also watching from the sidelines. There were some suggestions in the summer that Tranmere had shown an interest in the forward, a player they had on loan back in 2015 during his Cardiff days, so it will be interesting to see if any link is forthcoming again.

Andy Cook – Bradford City

Only three men have scored more league goals this season in League Two than Johnson, and one of those is Bradford City’s bustling centre forward Andy Cook. The ex-Tranmere man started the season on fire, scoring 13 goals in his first 16 outings. However, as Bradford’s form predictably tailed off, Bantams boss Mark Hughes continues to fumble his way around the division unable to identify his strongest team, and thus Cook has found himself on the bench in recent weeks. 

The big forward is out-of-contract in the summer and speculation among some Bradford fans suggest he may be made available for transfer this month to fund other new signings at Valley Parade. They’ve already signed two new forwards this month as well.

Expect a lengthy queue to form for the 31-year-old’s services if that’s the case, and hopefully Tranmere would be at the front of that queue to bring the popular centre forward back to Prenton Park for a third spell.

Tomi Adeloye – Swindon Town

Perhaps the most notable League Two move so far this month saw veteran forward Charlie Austin return to former club Swindon Town. Austin’s arrival at the County Ground means the Robins now have five senior forwards in their squad and so at least one will likely leave the club this month.

Tomi Adeloye could be one Swindon are willing to let go and we understand there to be interest from several clubs in this division, including Hartlepool, Colchester and one other. The powerful 26-year-old striker joined Swindon in the summer from Ayr United having scored 11 goals last season. However, he has failed to find the net in nine appearances for Swindon thus far, although it must be noted he has had his playing time limited by injury.

Dom Telford – Crawley

This one is a long shot and seems unlikely, however, we did get told earlier this week that Crawley have received a couple of enquiries about the availability of striker Dominic Telford. The forward joined Crawley in the summer in what was a surprise move after a super season with Newport where he scored 26 goals last season.

However, with Crawley struggling and managers coming and going, the Burnley-born forward has managed only 5 league goals this term. The big stumbling block should Crawley sanction his departure will be his wages – he’s believed to have secured a bulky contract when joining the club in the summer despite League One interest, so whether anyone at this level could afford to take him is another thing all together. One to keep an eye on.

Frank Nouble – Colchester United

Another forward who has had plenty of game time this season yet could still be on his way out of his current club is Frank Nouble. The 31-year-old striker is currently at Colchester and has scored 3 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions this season. However, he’s one of a stack of players out of contract at the club this summer. 

Additionally, The Us are having a real go in the transfer market this month as they look to move away from danger at the bottom of League Two and they will likely need to move a couple of senior players on in order to continue that strengthening. The much-travelled Nouble has had a total of 19 clubs so far in his career, this being his second spell at Colchester. Club number 20 may be on the horizon.

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