Carlisle United’s attempts to stop 2024 player exit revealed | OneFootball

The club are in need of a right-back, having lost two at the end of last season.

Carlisle United reportedly offered a new deal to right-back Josh Emmanuel before his release from the club was confirmed.

Paul Simpson has hinted that the club are trying to bring in at least one more player in the right-back position. The number two on the squad number list is still vacant, and Simpson said that this gave some indication as to the players he may be looking at.

He also said that striker options were also being pursued, which proved to be true as the Blues announced the signing of Charlie Wyke on Monday morning.

The only true option that United have to fill that right wing-back position, currently, is Jack Ellis, although the 20-year-old is more naturally suited to being in a more narrow position in the defensive unit than a forward-thinking one.

Carlisle lost the services of their other two choices in this area of the pitch - Emmanuel and Fin Back - at the end of last season. It has now been revealed that the Blues attempted to keep one of the two.

Josh Emmanuel offered new Carlisle deal

The former Hull City man was presented with fresh terms by the club, according to BBC Cumbria's Paul Newton.

On the Carlisle Social podcast (episode 43, 43:00), Newton revealed that very good sources had told him that Carlisle did offer Emmanuel a new deal, following the expiration of the short-term one that he signed in November 2023.

He was the first signing that was made by the club's new American owners, the Piatak family.

Co-host James Phillips then added: "I didn't see anywhere near enough (from Emmanuel to have offered him a new deal). I'd have had [Joel] Senior over him; I'd have had Frank Simek back before I'd have offered Josh Emmanuel another deal. I just didn't see anything."

Senior, who won promotion with Carlisle in the 2022/23 campaign, and was then subsequently released, has recently signed a multi-year deal with League One side Bristol Rovers.

Josh Emmanuel contract offer comes as a surprise

The 26-year-old's first game against Charlton Athletic, which was also the Piataks' first as official owners of the football club, gave fans real hope about what he could offer.

In a team that was well below the League One standard, he showed his experience of having played at that level and higher.

That was really the pinnacle of his days with the Blues though. From there, he seemed to regress to the levels of the rest of the squad.

In terms of physical attributes, something that Simpson openly admitted he wanted his players in the upcoming season to possess more of, Emmanuel had that pace and power, but he just lacked a bit of finesse in both boxes; that technique that would take him to the next level.

A massive clear out of the Carlisle squad was needed in the summer. Pretty much every player who could easily be gotten rid of was. So the offer of fresh terms to Emmanuel, who didn't look to be particularly up to it either, doesn't fit in with their other decisions.