Exeter City will hope for repeat of Bristol City transfer masterstroke | OneFootball

David Noble captained Exeter City to their joint-best ever EFL finish and how they could do with a player of his ilk next season.

Few have done it better in Exeter City's midfield this century than David Noble - and how current boss Gary Caldwell could do with a midfielder of his ilk coming in this summer.

The Arsenal academy product has been retired for a while now, but at his pomp he was running the midfield and captaining a Grecians side that went on to record the club's joint-highest EFL finish of 8th in the 2010/11 season.

It was a major gamble when he arrived, and he was a typical Paul Tisdale 'down on their luck' signing.

He signed in January 2010 while still rehabbing a cruciate knee ligament injury, and it was a classic Tisdale transfer who probably wouldn't have ended up at Exeter if he had been fully fit when released by Bristol City in the summer of 2009.

After all, he had been playing Championship football for the Robins and scored some big goals on their way to defeat in the 2007/08 play-off final against Hull City.

Technically, he was fantastic, and he had great game sense and leadership skills, but his body prevented him from having an even better career than he did.

Noble started out at Arsenal and was tipped for big things, but he couldn't get games at Highbury and eventually ended up at Ashton Gate via Boston United and West Ham, where he played a huge part in their promotion from League One, including two goals on the final day to seal the deal at home to Rotherham United.

Remarkably, that play-off loss, via a Dean Windass thunderbolt, came just 12 months after promotion and another year on Noble was a free agent.

Noble one of Exeter's best-ever midfielders

City wouldn't have been able to afford a fit and firing Noble, so he came while injured.

At the time, there was derision at the decision to sign a player who was nowhere near fit after a serious injury, and he didn't kick a ball in anger for City in his first season at the club, to further heighten the confusion and disappointment.

However, when we was back fit at the start of the 2010/11 season, it soon became apparent why Tisdale was prepared to take the gamble.

Looking back now, Noble didn't score as many goals as you might have thought for Exeter, bagging just three in 137 appearances in all competitions across three spells in Devon's capital.

But he was more than goals. He was the driving force behind the best City-ever team, in terms of pure league position, since the 1970s.

He had grit, personality and talent that has been sorely lacking in the class of 2024/25.

Exeter need a new Noble

Reece Cole is City's best player, but he featured just 22 times in the league last season with only eight starts to his name. Ryan Woods should be the new Noble, but he looks to be going backwards at an alarming rate and barely got a kick in the last third of the campaign.

Jake Richards is very talented but is still only 17, while Ed Francis also has good ability on the ball, but he can't run a game and is a little lightweight.

The less said about Kevin McDonald, the better and McMillian is a jack of all trades but, well, you know the rest.

City's biggest problem is scoring goals, but Noble's passing range would help accelerate their actions on the final third, which are alarmingly ponderous at times.

While Caldwell obviously can't afford to bring in a player who's going to miss the whole season with injury, there have been enough fitness issues in the last two seasons, as it is, it feels like City need a midfield general and someone in the mould of Noble would go a long way to adding come excitement and drive to Exeter's overall play next term.