"We still need" - Notts County owners sent clear transfer demand | OneFootball

FLW's Notts County fan pundit has given his view on where the club need to strengthen in the January transfer window.

This article is part of Football League World’s 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It has been an excellent start to the season for Notts County in League Two.

Notts County enjoyed a strong start to life back in League Two last season following their promotion from the National League, but their form declined dramatically after head coach Luke Williams departed for Swansea City in January, and they finished in a disappointing 14th place under Stuart Maynard.

Some Magpies supporters had called for Maynard to be sacked after a poor second half of the campaign, but owners Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz kept faith with the 44-year-old, and they provided him with strong backing in the summer transfer window as 14 new players arrived at Meadow Lane.

The board have certainly been rewarded for sticking with Maynard, and Notts currently sit third in the table after winning seven and drawing five of their first 14 league games.

Having conceded an alarming 86 league goals last season, the Magpies have tightened up significantly at the back this campaign, but crucially, they have also retained their attacking threat, with the likes of Alessana Jatta and David McGoldrick in prolific form.

Notts County fan pundit issues transfer demand

When asked what transfer demand he would send to the club's owners ahead of the January window, FLW's Notts County fan pundit Thomas Wagstaff said that the Reedtz brothers should look to bring in a pacy back-up striker to provide an alternative to Jatta and McGoldrick.

"In January I think will probably be a back-up striker," Thomas said.

"I think the squad is good enough to go up if we get things right.

"We've got Cedwyn Scott, who is currently unavailable, we've got David McGoldrick, who is 37 years of age and we've got Alessana Jatta, who is scoring, but sometimes misses a few games through injury.

"So what I would say is we need a back-up striker, Jevani Brown, who we brought in on loan, is doing okay, but we still need someone in there, someone who is a bit difference and has got a lot of pace who can hurt teams.

"Teams like to sit back against us sometimes, but they also like to sit on the halfway line and press us, so someone who could get in behind would be really, really useful too."

With Jatta and McGoldrick up front, Notts certainly have the firepower needed to achieve promotion from League Two this season, but Thomas is right that a different option may be needed.

Jatta has scored eight goals so far this season, while McGoldrick has found the back of the net on five occasions, so it has been difficult for Jevani Brown to break into the team since his summer loan move from Bristol Rovers.

However, Brown scored two goals and provided one assist in the 5-1 win over Alfreton Town in the FA Cup first round on Friday night, and although the game was against National League North opposition, it still showed what the 30-year-old is capable of.

It has been a tough couple of years for Brown, but he did score an impressive 12 goals and register nine assists for Exeter City in League One during the 2022-23 season, and if he can rediscover that form between now and January, Maynard may not need to enter the transfer market for attacking reinforcements.