Carlisle United may have solved lingering issue by beating Notts County in transfer race: View | OneFootball

Carlisle have made their transfer strategy for the early period of the summer pretty clear.

Terell Thomas was announced as the fourth signing of Carlisle United's first summer window under new ownership, and the defender could help to solve a niggling issue that the Blues have faced for a while now.

A section of the Cumbrian side's supporters wanted to see their team sign players that were above their newfound level of League Two. The 2023/24 campaign had served up a big plate of reality for the Blues, who quickly realised that they weren't ready for third tier football.

Nevertheless, the target for next season had clearly been set out as promotion, and, if that was to be achieved, then United would need a more League One-ready basis in their squad than what they went up with last time, hence the desire for higher-level signings.

Carlisle have certainly delivered on that front.

Thomas, who had been linked with Notts County and Hungarian top flight team Fehérvár FC, played 40 games for Charlton Athletic in the Blues' former division last season.

He's the first really clear statement signing of the summer, one that a team that is pushing for promotion would usually make, and he should help on more fronts than just experience.

Terell Thomas could help Carlisle solve a big defensive issue

Carlisle were a shambles at the back last season, conceding more times than any other team in League One; an unusually high proportion of which came from calamitous mistakes or general poor defending.

The moves that the club have made so far are quite indicative of their feelings towards this area of the pitch. All of their signings - three defenders and a goalkeeper - show their lack of trust in the unit that led them into the start of this window.

Manager Paul Simpson has said that there is still one area of the backline, probably right wing-back, that still needs addressing.

Thomas, 28, should bring power and nous to Brunton Park. A central-defensive trio of him, Aaron Hayden on the right, and Jon Mellish on the left, is shaping up to be United's ideal choice.

Simpson likes to play with a back-three, but, with Mellish, they have the ability to quickly merge into a back-four, with the former Gateshead man in midfield. Thomas' addition should make this transition much smoother.

The Saint Lucia captain's heatmap from the 23/24 campaign, as displayed by Sofascore, shows that he predominantly played on the left-hand side for Charlton.

Carlisle haven't had a defender that can naturally slot into the left of the defence, where Mellish does, so this addition gives the manager even more tactical flexibility.

Carlisle United's athletic defence

Pace and athleticism: two key qualities that were listed by Simpson as things to focus on when doing their summer recruiting.

When his team featured Sam Lavelle and Paul Huntington at the back, they were always lacking in physical ability, especially when it came to covering ground quickly in League One.

That gulf wouldn't have been as big in the fourth tier, but they're ultimately trying to build a side that will be up at their previous level sooner rather than later. There's no point in repeating past mistakes and having a team that isn't ready for your targeted short-term destination.

Hayden and Mellish either side of Lavelle, as Huntington was released, would have been a big improvement in the athleticism of the defence had they left it at that. Thomas should only amplify that step up.

Carlisle should now have much more freedom to play higher up the pitch as they won't be as worried about the threat of a counter-attack, because their centre-backs should be much more able to deal with them.

This should allow them to dominate games by occupying the opposition's half more than their own, something that they rarely did last season.