Walsall FC news: Last season is haunting the club, the players, the manager already and their strong start will bring their failings to the forefront of their minds once again. Every piece of Walsall FC news, last season was about their drop-off in form.
Walsall supporters were left bemused at Wembley after the ultimate collapse saw them completely surrender a 12-point lead at the top of the League Two table and fall to a play-off defeat at the hands of AFC Wimbledon.
Even worse, they had a 14-point gap to Port Vale, who lurked just outside the automatic promotion places in 4th, and Walsall even had a game in hand over them.
Whether it was the loss of star striker Nathan Lowe when he was recalled from his loan by Stoke City or the 3-0 drubbing away at Bradford, something triggered a monumental bottle from the Saddlers.
They went on to collect just 14 points from their next 16 games at a rate of 0.82 points per game, which was put simply, relegation form.
A well documented piece of Walsall FC news last season was Mat Sadler’s lack of a ‘Plan B’ as such, with many fans calling for him to be sacked during the torrid run of results, a change that may have been able to turn things around before it was too late.
The most obvious outlook, however, is the lack of depth for the Saddlers after Nathan Lowe’s departure. A piece of Walsall FC news, in January, that left the fanbase bewildered, but little did they know how devastating the impact his departure would have on their season.
Levi Amantchi, brought in from Bromley as a replacement only managed to come up with four goals, and Manchester United loanee Ethan Wheatley could not find the back of the net at all.
It was a piece of Walsall FC news that will not be forgotten within the EFL for years to come, that is for sure.
Walsall FC News: What have they done this summer to reset a winning mentality?
Well, Mat Sadler certainly did not hang around over the summer transfer window, bringing in 15 new players, and stated that he is ‘Very Happy’ with the business he has been able to do.
This indicates that, for a start, Sadler still maintains the full backing of the Walsall board, and they have allowed him to try and build a team that can go one step better this campaign.
Speaking to BBC West Midlands, he said: “I’m very happy, it has been a lot of work over the last three months, we have had to rebuild everything and very much put a squad together.”
He also admitted that a rebuild was needed in order to change things up and to ensure a freshness within the squad, and a winning mentality could be instilled yet again.
The most noticable signing of the saddlers’ summer recruitment was veteran defender and serial winner, Aden Flint.
Flint was signed on a free transfer following his departure from League One side Mansfield Town, where he won promotion from League Two in 2024 as the Stags ended their long stay in the fourth tier.
He has also won promotion with Bristol City back in 2014/15, where he managed to score 15 goals from central defence, possessing a huge threat from set-pieces.
This could work for a Walsall side that utilized set pieces and, particularly a long throw last season.
Flint is already off the mark for his new club, scoring the Saddlers’ opener with a trademark towering header at the back post in a 1-3 away win at Accrington Stanley.
This signing aligns with the exact approach that I believe will allow Walsall to sustain a promotion push for 46 games rather than 24.
Mat Sadler’s side have had a clear transfer policy of developing younger players from the lower leagues over the past few years, and this has continued with the signings of promising defender Harrison Burke from Chester and Courtney Clarke from Eastbourne Borough.
It looks like they have learnt their lesson about how to apply such a policy, as they have kept a balance of valuable experience around the squad in EFL cult-hero Albert Adomah, skipper Jamille Matt and Monserrat international Brandon Comley.
Those three, along with Aden Flint, have played over 2,000 EFL games altogether, which means that the Saddlers are able to sign young, exciting but inexperienced players and develop and mentor them into huge assets.
Walsall FC News: Will Walsall capitalise on another electric start to the season?
The short answer is, wait until the end of the January transfer window. Supporters will be keeping their eyes peeled when it comes to the transfer window for hopefully what will be positive Walsall FC news.
This is based on two reasons: Walsall have a track record of selling their best players when a reasonable offer comes in for them.
The most recent example and a piece of Walsall FC news that broke in the summer was when last season’s standout, Taylor Allen, moved to Wycombe Wanderers for an undisclosed fee after managing 19 goal contributions in 57 games last season.
If the Saddlers’ can break their recent habits and keep hold of players such as Daniel Kanu, Jamie Jellis, Evan Weir, and Connor Barrett in January and potentially add one or two more seasoned professionals to their ranks, I would back them for a top three finish.
Will Walsall do a Walsall this season? We’ll be back with more Walsall FC news this season to keep you updated.
