Chesterfield: Ruthless Paul Cook comments hint at one player's fate ahead of January | OneFootball

Chesterfield's squad continues to go from strength to strength under Paul Cook but some of their former stars have slipped down the pecking order.

Chesterfield have once again completed a full rebuild this summer under Paul Cook, with 12 players brought in to help Town push for a second successive promotion for the first time in the club’s history.

Cook’s approach of having a large turnover of players is proving to be successful, with the Blues currently sixth in League Two and unbeaten in nine games in all competitions.

However, Cook’s transfer-heavy style has seen some casualties.

Chesterfield started seven summer signings in their last League Two game, a 5-2 away win over bottom club Morecambe, with many of last season’s heroes now reduced to roles as squad players and impact subs.

Having said goodbye to two fan’s favourites in the summer in Jeff King and Joe Quigley, a January exit could be looming for another title winner, following a snub in the Spireites’ 3-1 FA Cup first round win over Horsham.

Cook’s comments could spell the end of the road for Branden Horton.

The 57-year-old has taken Chesterfield from strength to strength in his second spell in Derbyshire, with finishes of 7th, 3rd, and 1st in the National League, and he’s seemingly been able to strike the right balance once again to take his squad to the next level.

While players such as Darren Oldaker, Jamie Grimes, and James Berry have all undoubtedly improved under Cook, his exploits in the transfer market have played the biggest role in the continual growth of the Blues.

The squad was composed of National League quality players upon Cook’s arrival, but after three summers’ worth of rebuilds, the squad now includes former Championship players like John Fleck, Tom Naylor, and Dilan Markanday, who make the Spireites a force to be reckoned with in League Two.

Cook has been ruthless in his time at Chesterfield – if you aren’t at the required level, you will be moved on.

In October, the former Wigan manager said the Blues "had to move on" and "can’t stand still for anyone", and left-back Horton seems to be the squad’s latest causality.

The 24-year-old was the first-choice left-back as Chesterfield lifted the National League last season, playing over 2,200 minutes, but his only minutes this season came against Manchester City U21s in the EFL Trophy.

After making over 50 appearances across two seasons in Derbyshire, the former Doncaster Rovers man was not named in Chesterfield’s official squad list, meaning he is currently ineligible to play League Two games.

Horton was able to play in the Spireites’ FA Cup clash against seventh-tier Horsham last weekend, and many tipped him for a start, but he was once again not named in the squad, with Cook preferring new signing Lewis Gordon at full-back.

With just 90 minutes of football to his name this season and with his contract running out at the end of the season, Horton’s days look numbered at Chesterfield.

Not helping Horton’s case is his replacement Gordon, who has become rotation-proof at left-back.

The signing of Gordon pushed Horton out of the team.

Cook has been known to chop and change his starting XI this season, with small sections of the fanbase even criticizing the manager for making too many changes. But there has been one constant in the Spireites’ team, former Bristol Rovers left-back Gordon.

The 23-year-old became Cook’s first signing in the off-season after making over 50 League One appearances in the South West over the past two campaigns, and he’s the only Chesterfield player to play every minute of League Two action.

Only Tom Naylor (four) has more assists than the left-back’s three for the Spireites this season, as the former Scotland U19 international has impressed with his solid all-round game.

In settled possession, Chesterfield tend to set up in a back three, with the right-back, one of Devan Tanton, Liam Mandeville, or Vontae Daley-Campbell, playing high and wide, almost like a winger, which allows Gordon to tuck in narrower alongside the two centre-backs.

This makes the Spireites less vulnerable to counter-attacks and with two strong passers in Tom Naylor and Gordon in defence, Town are better equipped to play out from the back and break the lines, and we saw this tactic work against Morecambe.

With the score level at 2-2, Gordon came inside from the left, which created space for winger James Berry, and Gordon sprayed the ball out to the 23-year-old, who cut inside and finished past Stuart Moore.

Gordon’s responsibilities are not solely defensive, however, and he gets forward when possible, usually when a midfielder sits in for him in defence.

Partnerships and continuity play a big role in Cook’s system, and Gordon has created a formidable one with Berry, alongside midfielders Oldaker and Metcalfe, who are happy to cover for Gordon on one of his surges down the line.

Away from Gordon, whose versatility makes him an integral part of Cook’s tactics, Harvey Aruajo’s arrival at Chesterfield further pushes Horton down the pecking order.

Araujo, who also joined the Spireites in the summer, on loan from Premier League Fulham, is a left-footed defender who has the athleticism and passing range to play the ‘Gordon role’.

The 20-year-old, who has featured primarily at centre-back for Town, has played left-back for Fulham’s youth teams in the past, as well as for England U18s between 2021 and 2022, so is likely to step in at full-back should Gordon be unavailable.

It looks a long way back for Horton now, whose snub in the FA Cup coupled with Cook's ruthless comments about not standing still for anyone point toward an exit for the defender sooner rather than later.

That appears likely to come in January, with a ‘dead rubber’ tie in the EFL Trophy next week against already eliminated Grimsby Town perhaps his last chance to impress before the winter window opens.