Swindon Town told to resist £1m offers for 17-goal star - Robins may have transfer headache | OneFootball

Swindon Town are facing a dilemma on whether to cash in on star striker Harry Smith this summer.

Swindon Town supporters are heading into the summer full of optimism after a stunning turnaround in fortunes under manager Ian Holloway in the second half of the season.

After a poor start to the season under Mark Kennedy, Swindon made the shock decision to replace him with Holloway in October, almost four years on from his previous role in football management at Grimsby Town.

It is fair to say that Holloway did not initially make the impact he would have hoped for at the County Ground, and after dropping to the bottom of the table in early December, relegation to the National League looked to be a serious possibility for the Robins.

However, Holloway then inspired an incredible revival, with Swindon losing just five of their last 28 league games to record a top-half finish, which would have been unthinkable at the time of his arrival, and there may have even been some disappointment that the club were unable to cut the gap to the play-off places even further.

While a top seven place may just have been out of reach this season, many have tipped the Robins to launch a promotion push next term, but that may depend on whether they can keep hold of their key players, including star striker Harry Smith.

Swindon Town issued firm Harry Smith transfer warning

One of the most impressive aspects of Swindon's form under Holloway was the amount of goals they scored, and only Chesterfield, Doncaster Rovers and Walsall, who all finished in the top seven, scored more goals than the 71 netted by the Wiltshire outfit this season.

The Robins had a healthy spread of goals coming from across the team, but there is no doubt that Smith was their main danger man, with the 29-year-old scoring 17 goals and providing five assists in 44 appearances in all competitions this season.

Smith's form has led to fears that he could potentially emerge on the radar of other clubs, but when asked which player he would not want to lose this summer, FLW's Swindon Town fan pundit Ciaran Daniel warned the club not to cash in on the striker, even if they were to receive an offer worth as much as £1 million.

"One player I do not want to lose, and we simply cannot lose, is Harry Smith," Ciaran told FLW.

"Top goalscorer, has scored most of our goals this season, but he's also very versatile. He's even played at centre-back this season.

"But I think any team that loses their top goalscorer struggles a little bit the next year after, because the striker coming in has some very big boots to fill. He's simply a player that shouldn't be sold at any cost.

"I'd even say if you had a £1m offer come in for him, even though he's not worth anywhere near that, to try and replace him is going to be difficult. He's just an absolute unit, and a perfect League Two striker.

"He's the epitome of a League Two striker: big, powerful, but he's not just there for a header or off-the-ground finish. If you look at the goal against Bradford that he scored on the volley, in the box - he can get into some really good positions for someone that's so tall.

"You don't normally see that, but he doesn't get intimidated by centre-halves. If he does, it's in very few games. He has got a hot-head, but you can also use that to your advantage. He's got that passion.

"He does pick up a few yellows, but he's only picked up one red card this year, considering at one point it looked like he'd pick up a red card every time he was on the pitch.

"Holloway's managed to get it out of him that he doesn't do completely stupid things and get sent off. But all season, he's just been fantastic. He can really kick on next year, I think."

Swindon Town facing big Harry Smith dilemma ahead of summer window

It is not the first time that Smith has hit double figures for goals at League Two level after doing so previously with Leyton Orient and Sutton United, but the 17 goals he netted this season make it statistically the best campaign of his career.

Smith was voted the Robins' Player of the Season by both supporters and his team-mates, underlining just how important he was to the turnaround under Holloway, and the club are currently believed to be in talks to tie him down to a new contract, with his current deal set to expire next summer.

With that in mind, it seems highly unlikely that Swindon would be willing to entertain any offers for Smith this summer, but should they fail to agree terms with the striker, they could face a dilemma over whether to sell him.

The Robins have already lost one striker this summer after Kabongo Tshimanga's loan spell came to an end, and, even though he has been released by Peterborough United, a permanent deal is thought to be too costly for the club, which is undoubtedly a blow given that he scored 13 goals in 44 games this season.

With the prospect of Tshimanga's return looking slim, Swindon will be even more determined to keep hold of Smith, and as a proven League Two marksman, he could certainly be capable of spearheading a play-off challenge next season.

However, Smith is now 29 years of age, meaning that he is potentially at the peak of his transfer value, and after Holloway revealed that he will be working with a smaller budget next season due to additional work being needed on the pitch, the income from his sale could come in useful to help balance the books at the club and provide funds for the manager to strengthen in other areas.

Smith has made it clear how much he has loved working under Holloway, so it is unlikely that he would push for a move away from the County Ground this summer, but the Robins would have a big decision to make if they were to receive a sizeable bid for the striker.