The midfielder joined the Magpies on a short-term contract during the first half of the season.
Notts County are planning a busy summer at Meadow Lane as they prepare for another season in League Two. And, with time to reflect on their first season back in the Football League in four years, the Magpies will learn lessons to guarantee they battle for the top of the table rather than settle for mid-table mediocrity.
That might start with a variety of things, the most important of which are transfers. The club released its retained list at the end of last month, with nine players in all looking for options away from Meadow Lane, with a definite emphasis on defensive reconstruction.
However, now that this has been detected, Stuart Maynard, along with Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz, and head of recruiting Richard Montague, will need to examine last season’s transfer failures and how to prevent them from happening again ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Notts County’s 2023/24 season transfers
On paper, Notts County’s business during the course of the season appears to be fantastic, especially given the caliber of players they were able to attract to Meadow Lane, with the majority arriving on free transfers.
Jodi Jones, Dan Crowley, David McGoldrick, and Scott Robertson have all been fantastic finds in that area of the transfer market, with all four of those players, as well as others not named, playing key roles in their 14th-place finish this season.
But one element that was forgotten, especially during the summer, was defense. Notts lacked experienced, no-nonsense League Two defenders, with much of the back-line that had earned the Magpies promotion the previous season remained in the starting lineup for the first half of the season, which appeared to be a sensible choice at the time.
However, the fractures quickly became visible, and County appeared weak every time a team advanced against them. The mistakes they had gotten away with in the National League were now being penalized, and they suffered as a result.
The issue was resolved midway through the season when they finalized the permanent acquisition of Lewis Macari from Stoke City, who had impressed on loan during the first part of the season, as well as the arrival of promising defender Jaden Warner from Norwich City.
However, it was just not what Nottingham required. Yes, they have the opportunity to assist develop these young players, but in order to avoid a downward spiral this season, they must strike the correct balance of experience and youth.
While experience can help Notts recover from a disappointing second half of the season, the club will want to guarantee that future players have a greater impact than one player signed as a free agent following Matty Palmer’s season-ending injury.
Notts County must ensure Dan Gosling transfer is not repeated
With nearly 200 Premier League appearances under his belt from Everton, Bournemouth, and Newcastle, many were enthusiastic about what Gosling could bring to this Nottingham Forest team.
The rest of his career has been spent in the Championship, most recently with Watford, where he featured 17 times last season. The signing was relatively risk-free, with the agreement lasting until the beginning of January to assist cover midfield injuries.
However, just because a player has a lot of experience does not always mean he is the best man for the job, as Magpies fans discovered during the 33-year-old’s stint in the East Midlands.
In eight appearances in all competitions for the Magpies, Gosling played only 181 minutes and failed to make the impact that many expected.
This forthcoming transfer window appears to be critical for the club, as well as the owners and recruitment team. It is the first time the Danish twins’ transfer strategy has been called into question since taking over the club in 2019, and it appears that a defensive revamp will soon be underway.
But for the Magpies, it’s about identifying a player with the ideal mix of experience and skill to help them compete for League One football next season. Gosling’s time at the club demonstrated how just hiring someone for their experience can often be counterproductive to your goals. It’s a delicate balance to strike, but one that must be achieved.
