Louis Reed headlines worrying Mansfield Town situation bubbling under the surface | OneFootball

The 27-year-old heads a long list of player's who's contracts have less than six months left on them.

Disaster could be set to strike at Field Mill with over fifteen Mansfield Town players out of contract in the summer.

Following promotion to League One, the dire situation of player contracts at Field Mill may have been forgotten about or put to the side. Seventeen players' contracts expire in 2025, and one more with Callum McDonald, though he has the option of a further year, as per Transfermarkt.

It could be a worrying time for Mansfield and the fans will hope the situation will be resolved at the end of the season, hopeful that it won't be too late. Part of the reason the hierarchy may have done this is that they wanted to see how the first season back in League One would go before committing new contracts to a vastly ageing squad.

Moreover, the Stags are not renowned for having a large squad and instead prefer to operate with one-year contract extensions and rarely give out three or four-year contracts, as you see with clubs at Premier League level.

In fact, at the end of last season, Mansfield were in a similar predicament but was able to sort out seven players with extensions with the lure of League One football. However, it may be feared this time around that it may not have the same result.

It's particularly the case with players of Louis Reed's calibre who will be wanted elsewhere in the division.

Mansfield can't afford to let instrumental Reed leave

Since his January switch from Swindon in January of 2023, Reed has become an instrumental part of Mansfield's recent success. The midfield ace has made over 80 appearances in yellow and blue, becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet.

He had struggled with injuries previously in his career, delaying what undeniable talent he disposed of. However, last season showed what sort of player he can be, playing in 50 games in all competitions and only missing three in the league.

This season, Reed has played in over twenty games in the league and has performed admirably at times with over 1,300 touches and over 130 recoveries (per FotMob), though admittedly not at the extreme performances of last season - 79% pass accuracy - like many of his teammates. He is still a player they can ill afford to let go of.

Reed signed an extension of one year at the end of February last season, so there is hope he will put pen to paper on another extension at a similar time in 2025.

The Radford's have work to do at Mansfield

In 2010, John and Carolyn Radford revitalised the club in desperation when they bought it. They had an excellent relationship with Nigel Clough and experienced success with promotion.

However, the end of this season will be telling. How much of a rebuild are Mansfield going to oversee? There can be no doubt that the transfer strategy of signing old players that played at the top level has got to be stopped, or at least managed better than now, with a focus on long-term squad building.

Players such as Lee Gregory, Stephen Quinn, Aden Flint are all out of contract in the summer and all 35 or above.

The strategy will have to differ slightly, and it is imperative that players at the peak of their career, such as Reed, are kept to be the experienced anchor for the younger players that get brought into the squad.