Exeter City: Only 1 of Gary Caldwell’s first 6 January signings have worked out.

January 2023 was one of the most exciting mid-season transfer windows at St James Park, but it hasn’t survived the test of time.

Gary Caldwell added six new players to his Exeter City squad after replacing Matt Taylor, who left for Rotherham United in October 2022.

While it was a departure from his predecessor’s academy-focused group, five of the newcomers either failed or didn’t stick around.

Only Demetri Mitchell has shown to be effective, although he lost a whole year due to a significant knee injury, so even that is debatable.

His skill is undeniable, and he has the potential to be a key player for City in the second half of the season. He demonstrated this with a stoppage-time equalizer in Sunday’s comeback against Crawley Town, which secured a draw from a 4-1 deficit.

Mitchell’s January 2023 signings were goalkeeper Gary Woods, center-back Will Aimson, experienced midfielder Kevin McDonald, forward James Scott, and Newcastle United loanee Joe White.

Caldwell’s January 2023 flop

Woods made nine appearances for City, mostly as injury cover for Jamal Blackman and later as obvious second choice to Viljami Sinisalo last season, before departing on a free transfer to return north of the border.

Aimson had challenges as a former Plymouth Argyle player, but it was Caldwell’s choice to give him the leadership over Pierce Sweeney, a City legend and fan favorite, that caused the most problems.

Sweeney, to his credit, never complained and appeared to support the choice, but there was only one guy the City faithful wanted to lead their team out, and it wasn’t the wildly unreliable former Argyle player who had recently arrived.

Aimson used some stick to push his way out at the first opportunity. When he asked to join Wigan Athletic in the summer, it was difficult to see how he was expected to be superior to Alex Hartridge and Cheick Diabate.

McDonald’s presence in midfield was generally positively received, and his Premier League expertise paid dividends on the football as he helped City improve their midfield nous in the second part of the season.

The Scotland international disappointed many Grecian fans by rejecting a six-month contract extension and joining Bradford City in the lower league.

In November 2024, he returned to City as a mentor to the talented 17-year-old Jake Richards after realizing his mistakes. If Richards signs a professional contract with his childhood club, all will be forgiven. There is no pressure, Kev.

 

Exeter City is still seeking a striker.

Initially, there was a lot of expectation that Scott would go on to be a great player for City.

The Scottish striker was released on a free by Hull City three years after signing for nearly £1 million, bringing anticipation that he may be a superstar for his new club.

Grecians were urged to be patient with him since he would take some time to come up to speed, and he did appear a little…heavy.

He showed some signs of improvement and appeared thinner at the start of the 2023/24 season, but by then he had obviously forgotten how to play football and ended up looking like a guy you wouldn’t pay £1 for, let alone £1 million for.

Newcastle’s final new signing was youthful offensive midfielder Joe White. White was useful enough, and he should have a successful career in the game, but the trouble was that he flattered to deceive.

White’s City career was filled with ‘what ifs’, but his debut effort helped City recover a point against Forest Green.

However, he only appeared in 15 more games for the rest of the season, scoring no goals and assisting on one.

Exeter will be active in the market this month, with a striker at the top of Caldwell’s wishlist, which has been a source of ongoing anxiety since his arrival at the club.

City’s manager emphasized the importance of quality over quantity, with only ‘one or two’ new players expected in the coming weeks.

Given the club’s current depth, one player in the No.9 spot might make a significant difference, and a quality signing would make it a successful January for Exeter City.

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