Notts County: If nothing happens, these 6 players are going to leave Meadow Lane | OneFootball

These are the six Magpies men who are currently out of contract in the summer.

With just six games of the League Two season remaining, clubs up and down the division will already have one eye on the imminent summer transfer window.

With the window a matter of months away, work will be going on behind the scenes to ensure summer signings can be made using the best possible judgement.

For the likes of Notts County, who are still firmly in the mix for a return to League One for the first time since 2015, that preparation is made slightly harder by the fact that the division they will be playing in next year is still unknown.

As a result, the Magpies must prepare themselves for both eventualities and, as well as affecting their transfer business, it will also affect the players whose contracts are due to expire when the season reaches its conclusion.

With that in mind, Football League World takes a look at the six Notts players who are set to depart Meadow Lane in the summer, if nothing is done.

David McGoldrick

McGoldrick has undoubtedly been one of Notts’ most integral players over the course of this season.

‘Didzy’ has found a new lease of life this term and has become more important to Stuart Maynard than ever before, given the absence of Dan Crowley since January.

The former Derby County and Sheffield United man has recently broken the 15-goal threshold in a season for the fourth time in his career and, despite the fact he is now 37-years-old, he has shown no signs of his age this term.

Maynard refers to him as “superman” and stressed after the recent win over MK Dons how, even at his age, McGoldrick never misses a training session, such is his desire to give his all for his boyhood club.

The frontman has produced several big moments to secure points for Notts this season, and he has continued to build a catalogue of impressive goals.

Now nearing the end of the two-year deal he signed in the summer of 2023, McGoldrick’s future will depend almost solely on his aspirations within the game.

He rejected an offer from Derby in order to join the club he supports in 2023, which suggests that money is of no concern to him at this stage of his career.

He has shown he would be more than capable of contributing next season, regardless of which division Notts find themselves in and, with the influence he carries around the club, it seems almost unthinkable that the Magpies won’t offer him renewed terms for at least another season.

Therefore, assuming he isn’t ready to retire, it seems highly likely McGoldrick will be back in a black and white shirt next term.

After missing large parts of this season through injury, it has been something of a frustrating campaign for Austin.

One of the few remaining members of the squad that sealed promotion to the Football League at Wembley back in 2022/23, Austin has been a reliable performer across a number of positions for Notts over the last few years.

Although his preferred position is an advanced midfield role, the former Kidderminster Harriers man has also operated in both wing-back positions for Maynard’s side, with impressive ease.

The 28-year-old is nothing flashy, and rarely catches attention from beyond Meadow Lane, but he’s a very dependable member of the Magpies squad.

If Notts are to get promoted, Austin would likely take on more of a depth role within the squad in the third tier next term, but even so, he’s a valuable player to have around and will likely be offered a new deal.

Charlie Whitaker

Whitaker is unique on this list in that he only made the switch to Nottingham as recently as January.

The attacking midfielder signed a six-month deal in NG2, after impressing with Everton’s Under 21s in Premier League 2 during the first half of this season.

Described by the club as a deal which “suits all parties,” Whitaker’s first foray into senior men’s football has shown positive signs so far.

It’s clear that the youngster is still quite raw, and his decision-making has come under scrutiny at times, but it is evident that he possesses huge amounts of technical ability.

If displays like his one at Newport at the end of March (a game which saw him net a brace) continue to come, it would be surprising if Notts don’t attempt to extend his stay at the club.

Sam Slocombe

While Alex Bass has come in and provided a huge upgrade in the goalkeeping department for Notts, something which was especially important after last season’s uncertainty between the posts, Slocombe has been impressive of late when he has been called upon.

With Bass out injured, the veteran has stepped up admirably in the absence of the number one and has reminded everyone that he is still a capable 'keeper at this level.

However, with Bass on a three-year deal, he has surely been lined up as Notts’ long-term option, meaning that Slocombe’s time will nearly be up.

The 36-year-old has been an incredible servant to the club, having notched over 160 appearances for the Magpies over his six-year stint, and crucially helping them to escape the National League.

However, unless the opportunity arises for him to take up a coaching role at the club, it looks likely that he will leave in the summer.

Robbie Cundy

Notts only handed Cundy a one-year deal when he was released by Barnsley over the summer and, in hindsight, that appears to have been a good move.

The centre-back dropped into League Two for the first time since the 2020/21 season in an attempt to rejuvenate his career, after several injury-hit campaigns. However, it simply hasn’t gone to plan.

Opportunities have been few and far between for him at Meadow Lane, and he is now out on loan at National League outfit Solihull Moors until the end of the season.

It’s a real shame, considering the fact he was playing Championship football just two seasons ago, but it looks as though Cundy will need a move away from the Magpies in order to get his career back on track.

Madou Cisse

It has been another positive year of development for the Notts youngster, who made his first league start for the club in the 3-2 defeat at Walsall back in December.

He has featured on the bench on several occasions since then, and has been a regular part of matchday squads in all three cup competitions this term.

As of right now, he is comfortably the youngster who is closest to becoming a genuine first-team option, so it would be a shock to see Notts let him leave in the summer.

At just 19 years of age, there is plenty of time for Cisse to develop into a player capable of playing in the Football League.