Notts County have to turn to Morecambe ASAP after retained list reveal: View | OneFootball

Stuart Maynard's first full season as Notts County manager is already in preparation as the club look to improve on an underwhelming second half to their first League Two campaign in four years.

Having been situated among the play-off places at the start of 2024, a wretched run of form, which had shown sides of protruding before Luke Williams' departure for Swansea City, curtailed their hopes of back-to-back promotions as they finished the season in mid-table.

But the Magpies have taken the first step in ensuring a similar picture isn't painted when they return to action in August, announcing their retained list earlier this week.

Notts County retained list reveals summer transfer plan

On Monday morning, it was announced that six players would be leaving Meadow Lane upon the expiration of their contracts, with three others given the chance to explore other opportunities away from the East Midlands ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Jim O'Brien, Aden Baldwin, Richard Brindley, John Bostock, Tobi Adebayo and Connell Rawlinson, who all played their part in the Magpies' return to the Football League, will be searching for a new club in the summer.

Aidan Stone, Will Randall and Luther Munakandafa have also been given the option of exploring ways back into regular first-team football away from the East Midlands, having struggled for minutes this term.

The latest reveal shows the reality of the situation that Notts find themselves in, with Richard Montague, alongside Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz, pinpointing the areas of improvement needed to make the squad promotion challengers next season.

Throughout their first season back in the Football League, the Magpies' achilles heel has been the manner in which they have conceded goals, largely down to defensive errors that may have been overlooked in the National League, but were exposed in League Two.

Notts managed to score 89 goals in the league this season, the third-highest in the division but were also susceptible to conceding, letting in 86 goals, which was more than any side this term, even Sutton United and Forest Green, who were relegated to the non-league.

While the club aimed to tackle this midway through the season with the loan addition of Norwich City defender Jaden Warner and the permanent acquisition of Lewis Macari from Stoke City, it failed to pave over the cracks and has been an issue rapidly addressed following the release of four defenders from the squad.

It's imperative that recruitment, not just in defence, but all over the pitch is done properly, with the transfer strategy adopted by the Danish brothers being questioned for the first time since their arrival in 2019.

One type of defender that the Magpies have seriously lacked this season has been a no-nonsense type, willing to put their body on the line and not afraid to veer away from their possession-based style of play during difficult parts of games.

Morecambe's Farrend Rawson has that in abundance and his move to Meadow Lane makes more sense than you'd actually think.

The 27-year-old, who was born in the East Midlands, has great pedigree when looking at his Football League CV, accumulating over 250 appearances in League One and Two.

Having featured heavily during Mansfield Town's 2021/22 promotion push, the defender joined the Shrimpers the following summer, helping them to a 15th placed finish this term, one place behind Notts.

In recent seasons, the Magpies have made good use of the free transfer market and Rawson is available in the summer with his contract set to expire at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium.

The defender is aerially dominant but also possesses that blend of being able to play out from the back, something needed within Maynard's typical system.

Having captained Morecambe this season, with the Magpies also losing some huge, experienced characters in the dressing room, Rawson's leadership qualities along with his obvious skills would be a welcome addition to a club in desperate need of improving their defence.

Once the transfer window opens, Notts are bound to be linked with several defenders given their struggles last season, and Rawson may well be top of their list but could face competition from other sides in the division.