It has been a tough few days in the transfer market if you support Cheltenham Town, exciting creative midfielder, Joel Colwill has been recalled by Championship side, Cardiff City, and sent back out on loan to League One’s, Exeter City.
The Robins will surely be looking to replace the 20 year-old Wales U21 playmaker in the January Transfer Window.
In this piece I have taken a look at what Joel Colwill brought to this Cheltenham Town squad, before finding 3 players who could fit the bill and replace what losing Colwill has taken away.
I hope all enjoy the read and I would love to hear the thoughts of Cheltenham fans. Do you agree with my selections to replace Joel Colwill? Please share the blog around and give any feedback for the piece! Enjoy!
Kristian Sekularac
My first of two honourable mentions for the attacking midfield position at Cheltenham Town, is Fulham and Switzerland youth international, Kristian Sekularac. The 21 year-old creative midfielder has 6 goals and an assist in just 11 games for The Cottagers Premier League 2 side this season.
The former Juventus youth player spent time at the Italian giants from when he signed from Servette, in 2018 until the 2021/22 season, where he played 26 games for Juve’s U19s side. He then moved to West London in 2022, where he has began to become one of the most creative midfielders in the PL2. He also made a handful of appearances for a number of the Switzerland youth teams, including a singular appearance in the U21s.
He is a fairly high profile youth academy prospect but is yet to make any performance in senior football, whether that be for Servette, Juventus or Fulham. It’s fairly hard to judge where players should be spending their first senior loans but League Two is always a good opportunity because of how competitive and physically demanding games can be.
Sekularac’s experiences in different environments could help the Swiss creator if he was to move on loan because of previous experience in relocating.
The 21 year-old is of a similar profile to Joel Colwill; A tall, slim player who uses his body excellently when carrying the ball. The use of his body in the final third is a real pro to his game as it allows him to spin his defender or win duels.
In the 2023/24 season, Sekularac had 13 goals contributions in 30 games for Fulham U21s, displaying his ability to not only create plenty of chances but also scores different types of goals. He’s an excellent box crashing midfielder who finds a lot of joy in the pockets space on the edge of the oppositions penalty area.
He has the ability to unlock an opposition with one defence-spitting pass through the lines. He can also move the ball by carrying it into space, similar to Joel Colwill, driving through the midfield.
Harry Whitwell
My second and final honourable mention of this list is another goalscorer in the PL2, this time playing for West Brom; versatile 19 year-old forward, Harry Whitwell. At Whitwell’s age he needs to be out playing senior football , which he is yet to do in his career yet.
Similar to Sekularac, Whitwell is of a similar build to Colwill but his style and profile of position is slightly different. He is more of a Second Striker, who stays fairly high up the pitch. His main aim is to pick up the second balls as the forward knocks it down to him. His ability to score goals in and around the penalty area is proven by his record this season. He has 5 goals and 2 assists in just 8 PL2 games.
With The Robins’ strikers putting up disappointing numbers this season, signing a goalscoring Number Ten could be a good way of getting past the problem of goals through the centre, especially now Colwill has left.
Whitwell is highly rated at West Brom; He’s been playing in the PL2 since 16-17 years-old which potentially shows that he wouldn’t be phased by the step into senior football. He has made a singular appearance for The Baggies this season, playing almost 80 minutes in a League Cup game against Fleetwood. That would’ve been a brilliant experience.
His ariel presence allows him to be a target from set pieces and goal kicks. His ability to brings others into the game as a Number Ten is very impressive. He can drive at the opposition defence before finding the correct pass, showing his quality decision making before the right technique, accuracy and weight of pass.
Caylan Vickers
I have gone down the Second Striker route again for my final and favoured pick of the blog. Brighton & Hove Albion forward, Caylan Vickers has become one of The Seagulls most exciting players over the past year, following his move to the South Coast from Reading in the last year.
The 20 year-old is the only player I’ve chosen that has consistent senior minutes of football in the past. He was a regular for The Royals at the start of the 2023/24 campaign, where he made 14 appearances in League One, scoring once.
Vickers has had a strong season for Brighton’s U21s squad in the PL2 this season, scoring 5 goals and earning himself 2 assists, over just 10 games!
I think he needs to go out on loan for the second half of this season, the 20 year-old needs regular football at his age. Cheltenham could give him this in abundance over the rest of the 2024/25 campaign. He could certainly do a job in League One but may not be guaranteed regular, consistent minutes.
He certainly passes the eye-test with his wonderful ball-carrying ability. He’s able to go around either side of the opposition, adding a bit of skill as well like a drop of the shoulder or some quick feet. He’d add more star-dust to an already technically-gifted “three behind the striker”.
He’s added end product to his game; finding goals + assists on top of his excellent “line-breaking ability to carry the ball through midfield. This is why I think he’d suit the Number Ten role more than a proper Number Nine but he’s versatile enough to play there if needed.
Bright are obviously an extremely successful development club and do things correctly. I think The Robins can be assured that they would be getting a superb player, just be how highly rated he is on The South Coast.
Thankyou for reading! This is my FIRST transfer suggestions piece on the blog so I would appreciate any feedback to the piece.
Who would you sign if you had the chance to make the decision and what do you think of my THREE suggestions
Callum Hallett 
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