Notts County will hope Everton purple patch will see Dan Crowley void filled | OneFootball

Crowley was sold to League Two rivals MK earlier this month, the responsibility to step into his shoes looks like falling on Charlie Whitaker.

Summary

With several new additions and a couple of notable departures from Meadow Lane, it’s already been a busy January transfer window for Notts County.

Alassana Jatta was the latest Notts man to be the subject of speculation last week, with The Guardian reporting that Notts had knocked back a bid of £750,000 from Championship side Plymouth Argyle.

The Magpies look set for a battle to keep their top scorer this week as the end of the window begins to come into sight. After losing Dan Crowley to potential promotion rivals MK Dons earlier in the window, they simply cannot afford to lose another player who is so integral to Stuart Maynard’s plans.

The Crowley sale was the sort of event that could very easily threaten to de-rail a club’s season. Notts have already moved to boost their attacking midfield area, and the responsibility to replace Crowley’s creativity may well fall on the young shoulders of Charlie Whitaker, who shone in the first half of the campaign for Everton’s Under 21s in Premier League 2.

Notts need Charlie Whitaker to have an instant impact

In Notts’ two recent games since the sale of Crowley, it’s fair to say we have perhaps seen both the advantages and disadvantages of the former Arsenal and Birmingham man moving on.

In the 3-0 win at Accrington Stanley on January 18th, Notts notably progressed the ball through the lines a lot quicker, and played from back to front in a slick and confident manner.

However, in last week’s home draw with Bromley, they found it much harder to break down the visitors’ defence. Part of that can be put down to a typically steely defensive showing from Andy Woodman’s side, but Notts also lacked that technician to unlock the door of a defence that sat very deep.

The hope is that in Whitaker, they already have Crowley’s replacement at the club.

The 21-year-old is very inexperienced at senior level but enjoyed a fine start to the season for Everton’s Under 21 side in the PL2.

Whitaker notched seven goals from just nine games in the PL2 earlier this season, as well as featuring in all three of the Toffees’ games in the EFL Trophy.

Described by director Richard Montague as “another young, high-potential player” who has the “technical ability, pace and tenacity to be a real handful,” Notts need Whitaker to come in and hit the ground running.

So far, he has come off the bench in the last two games, showing flashes of what he might be capable of. But in the absence of Crowley, Notts will be keen to see him take to life at Meadow Lane with ease.

It’s an incredibly big ask for anybody to replace a player of Dan Crowley’s quality at League Two level, but between Whitaker and the rest of Notts’ attacking unit, they must find a way to make up for the creativity that they have lost.

Only time will tell whether Crowley’s sale was the right move or not

Crowley’s future is a topic that has unsurprisingly been a very common topic among Notts fans this season.

The playmaker’s contract was due to expire at the end of the season, prompting near constant discussions about whether it would suit the Magpies better to cash in on one of their key men or keep him at the club and likely lose him for nothing.

Notts survived a scare back in the summer, rejecting advancements from MK Dons. However, this time around, they opted to take the money.

According to the club, Crowley wanted the move, meaning it made little sense for the Magpies to keep hold of a player who had his head turned.

However, there is no getting away from the fact that a player of his quality is virtually impossible to replace at League Two level.

As we’ve come to expect now, Notts appear to have gone for the option of a young talent who is relatively unknown in the form of Whitaker, with the hope that he can go on and become a key cog in their side.

Only time will tell whether selling Crowley proves to be a good move. Notts still have more than enough in the squad to get promoted without him, in which case it surely represents good business to receive a fee for someone they almost certainly would have lost for nothing.

However, if Notts fail to achieve their promotion goal (and even more so if MK Dons do), fingers will likely be pointed towards the Crowley decision as one of the key turning points.

With the crunch time of the season approaching, Notts need Whitaker to show what he is capable of and help fill the creative void that Crowley’s sale has left.