Wycombe Wanderers can capitalise on Walsall's Wembley heartbreak with overdue transfer breakthrough | OneFootball

Following Walsall's Wembley heartbreak, Wycombe Wanderers could reignite their pursuit of midfielder Jamie Jellis.

Wycombe Wanderers could reignite their pursuit of Walsall star Jamie Jellis this summer, after the Midlands club failed to gain promotion via the play-offs.

Whilst Wanderers may have felt rather frustrated after blowing their chances of promotion to the Championship in the last few matches of the season, and going on to lose in the play-off semi-finals to eventual winners Charlton Athletic, that frustration will be minimal in comparison to how a Walsall fan will be feeling currently.

The Saddlers held a 14-point lead at the top of League Two in January, but won just five of their last 24 matches, which saw them somehow miss out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season.

Walsall would cruise past Chesterfield with relative ease in the play-off semi-finals, but were defeated at Wembley by AFC Wimbledon. This condemned Mat Sadler's side to a seventh successive season in the fourth tier.

After many individuals impressed at the Bescot Stadium, the failure to gain promotion will likely see the club struggle to keep hold of some of their stars. Jellis, who was the subject of multiple bids from Wycombe in January, could be one of those players.

Jaime Jellis' incredible first full season in the EFL

Jellis has enjoyed a fruitful first full season with the Saddlers, featuring in all but three of their 49 league and play-off games, scoring five goals and chipping in with two assists.

The 24-year-old has worked his way up from non-league, and caught the eye of clubs higher up the pyramid with his stellar performances in the first half of the 2024/25 campaign.

This saw Jellis emerge as a target for League One outfit Wycombe in the January transfer window. The Chairboys reportedly had two bids knocked back for the former Stevenage youngster, and eventually moved on to other targets.

However, an extremely poor second half of the campaign for the whole squad probably left Jellis rather disappointed that Walsall weren't willing to entertain the bids of the Buckinghamshire outfit, which is understandable halfway through the season.

The Saddlers already lost Nathan Lowe, so wanting to keep hold of their star midfielder until at least the end of the season is a more than reasonable stance from the club.

Nobody could've foreseen the drop-off in form from Walsall, but despite only scoring once after the transfer window, Jellis remained one of the stars of the show with some energetic performances in the engine room. With that in mind, there will likely be plenty of interest in the midfielder once again this summer.

Wycombe Wanderers could rekindle Jamie Jellis interest after Walsall's promotion heartbreak

Jellis has been a long-term target of the Buckinghamshire-based outfit, having first been linked with a move to the club whilst at Tamworth in 2023, then reportedly being the subject of two bids from the Blues in January 2025.

Despite his lack of goal contributions in the second-half of the season, the 24-year-old has done more than enough to earn a move to the third tier, and Walsall's failure to gain promotion could be a boost for those chasing him.

Sadler's squad is supremely talented, and Jellis is one of those diamonds that shine the brightest. Having already proven himself at League Two level, he'll be keen to test himself at the next level.

The Chairboys need another attacking-minded midfielder now that Cameron Humphreys has returned to Ipswich Town, and the Walsall star could be the perfect fit for Mike Dodds' midfield.

Wycombe have plenty of appealing factors for the midfielder. Jellis was born in Aylesbury, making him a local lad, and the long-term interest from the Bucks outfit could play a key part in winning the race to sign the ex-Stevenage prospect.

All of this could see Wanderers rekindle their interest in Jellis, and potentially boast a better chance of actually landing his signature this time around now that his current club are confirmed to be playing League Two football again next season.