Smith in, Maher out: The dream start to Grimsby Town's summer transfer window | OneFootball

Grimsby Town central defenders Doug Tharme, Toby Mullarkey and Harvey Rodgers remain under contract at Blundell Park heading into the summer. But with the release of Niall Maher, the Mariners will require at least one replacement in that department for next season. Preferably, any reinforcements brought in by David Artell to bolster the backline will offer a bit of pace and composure to compliment his teammates - and former Hull City loanee Andy Smith would fit the bill.

The North East Lincolnshire outfit had a difficult 2023/24 season. Starting the campaign under Artell's predecessor, Paul Hurst, the Mariners would have been hoping to progress further on the back of two successful years in league and cup. That didn't materialise, however, as Grimsby ended up enduring a battle for EFL survival - something they only achieved with a victory over Swindon Town on the penultimate weekend.

Recruitment and strategic alignment issues are widely thought to be the main reason for those struggles, and it's a subject that the club's hierarchy has already addressed supporters about, putting plans in place as they look to ensure there's no repeat of last summer's errors.

Grimsby are looking to go down a more data-led path, and the collaboration between the recruitment department and the managerial and coaching side of this has to be in harmony for it to realistically succeed. It seems this wasn't the case under the previous manager, who preferred a different method, adding players he knew and trusted, and while this had served him and the Mariners well before, it wasn't the case on this occasion.

Paul Hurst was sacked in late October last year and replaced by Artell a month later. It's fair to say it's been a bumpy ride since, as the former Crewe boss looked to quickly implement a possession-based style his squad struggled to adapt to. After some heavy defeats, Artell rectified the situation by changing to a more pragmatic approach and a 3-5-2 system, which allowed the Mariners to grind out the results necessary to stay up.

The summer transfer window should see Artell and his coaching staff working closely with head of recruitment Joe Hutchinson to identify, target and acquire players to fit a certain model, guided by a mix of information gleaned from statistics and knowledge of how that could fit in to the model they're looking to progress with. The 'eye for a player' element will likely still play an important role in recruitment, but it's backed up and guided by numbers collected to gauge players' potential effectiveness; a two-pronged, modern approach all involved hope will allow the Mariners to flourish moving forward.

Artell will be looking to add pace, power, quality and creativity over the coming weeks and months. A reliable, experienced goalkeeper is a must. Full-back areas are light in terms of numbers, wide attacking areas require significant strengthening, the engine room needs a touch of class and creativity, and Danny Rose needs suitable and varied support in attack to reduce Grimsby's reliance on the former Northampton Town, Mansfield Town and Stevenage man for goals and threat.

Another crucial area for improvement is defensive solidity. The Mariners conceded 74 goals over their 46 League Two matches last season, and while 21 of those came in just a six-game spell at the beginning of the year, and formational and stylistic approaches have altered over the campaign, it's a figure that David Artell will be keen to considerably reduce through 2024/25.

The aforementioned Mullarkey has adequate pace, while Doug Tharme and Harvey Rodgers are more no-frills in their defending. To best compliment them, a quick, technically competent centre-back able to read the game well and comfortable playing on the left-side would be ideal.

In: Andy Smith

22-year-old Hull City defender Andy Smith spent one-and-a-half successful seasons on loan with the Mariners fulfilling that very role, often partnering Luke Waterfall at the heart of the defence for a Grimsby side that won promotion from the National League in 2022, following that up with a top-half League Two finish and a run to the FA Cup quater-finals in 2022/23.

Smith's previous successful loan spell(s) with Grimsby Town saw Hull City boss Liam Rosenior impressed enough to keep the defender as part of his Championship team's first-team squad for the opening half of the 2023/24 season. Smith then headed out on loan to League One's Cheltenham Town in January for the remainder of the campaign.

Circumstances have changed in recent times, however, with Hull somewhat surprisingly sacking Rosenior following the club's failure to reach the Championship play-off positions. At the same time, Smith's temporary stay with Cheltenham perhaps wasn't as successful as hoped, with the youngster making just 12 appearances for the relegated Robins, and ending the campaign out of favour in terms of selection for Darrell Clarke's side.

The combination of these factors could see Andy Smith become available for League Two sides this season, and with the defenders' history at Blundell Park, along with the geographical proximity, a permanent move to the Mariners could suit all parties; Artell improves his defensive ranks, while the next Tigers manager, possibly former VfB Stuttgart and Hamburg boss Tim Walter, clears the decks to bring in his own reinforcements over the summer.

Smith is entering a stage of his career where he needs to become a permanent fixture at a club with which he can become a regular, key part of things. He offers technical qualities that are more than good enough for the fourth-tier. The Banbury-born defender has a reasonable turn of pace, and is a good reader of the game, often picking up second balls in important areas as a result of this.

Having already shown he's physically able to deal with the hustle and bustle of League Two, he's also proved his tactical versatility on many occasions, looking comfortable as part of both a back four and a five-man defence during his 18 months at Blundell Park previously. Capable on either the left or right at the heart of the backline, Smith's aforementioned skill-set allows the full-backs (or wing-backs) the opportunity to push on and effect attacking phases of play with less fear of being caught out of position on the counter.

Out: Niall Maher

As the Mariners' retained list was made public, it was announced Irish defender Niall Maher would be leaving the club. Signed ahead of the club's return to the Football League in 2022, The Irishman has spent two seasons at Blundell Park.

Now 28-years old, the former Bolton Wanderers and Halifax Town man played a major part in Grimsby's highest league finish in nearly two decades as well as their historic FA Cup run during the 2022/23 campaign, vying for a centre-back role with Smith and Luke Waterfall.

Last season was far less plain sailing, however, as like many of his teammates, Maher struggled for form and consistency for a toiling Grimsby side low on confidence, finding himself out of favour as the season wore on.

It came as no real surprise when the Irish defender's name appeared on the released list. It had become clear David Artell preferred other options. But while Maher's second season at Blundell Park was a tough one, he played a vital role in some memorable moments during the previous campaign, and will be remembered as one of Grimsby's history-making FA Cup heroes.

It's time for a change, though, and perhaps the return of Andy Smith. His all-round game is perfect for League Two, and the combination of factors highlighted above makes him an ideal, realistic target for David Artell and Grimsby Town as they look to fill the void left by the departure of Niall Maher. It's rare that things align in such a manner, and the Mariners should capitilise quickly on a potential dream start to the summer transfer window.