Armer? The 2 Carlisle United players that need to prove a point in pre-season or risk 2024/25 axe | OneFootball

The Blues are looking to move on players as well as recruit in this summer window.

In a summer of exciting additions, Carlisle United won't forget about the other side of the transfer market.

The club's retained list at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, in which they were relegated from League One, didn't specifically indicate that they were looking to move contracted players on from the club, but Paul Simpson's words in the aftermath certainly said so.

Some members of the squad, who haven't been named, have been told that they are unlikely to be involved much in the team from next season onwards, unless there is a dramatic shift made.

The manager said, prior to the arrival of midfielder Ethan Robson and striker Charlie Wyke, that they were looking to bulk up the numbers up front, and that the unassigned squad numbers, one of which is the number two, also gave an indication as to another area of the pitch that they are trying to recruit in, as per the News & Star.

At least part of those additions in forward areas have been addressed, so there doesn't appear to be too much more work that Simpson wants to get done.

Attention may turn to finding new homes for these lesser-wanted players.

Simpson said that some of the Carlisle team have really impressed with how fit they have kept themselves over the summer break.

There are certainly one or two who need to take this chance before the first game, at Gillingham, to impress the boss, otherwise they risk being moved on.

Jack Armer

Jack Armer has been a stalwart of this version of Carlisle since Simpson returned in February 2022. Even though he's only 23, he's made over 150 league appearances since joining the club in the summer of 2020, including every game of the 2022/23 League Two campaign.

His dependability cannot be questioned and his consistent fitness has been a real help to the club given the amount of injuries that have been suffered by full-backs over the last couple of seasons.

But the one area that you could criticise him for is his lack of diversity. He's a decent enough defender, and can put in a good cross sporadically, but he lacks traits that someone like new signing Cameron Harper can offer.

Armer isn't comfortable going in-field with the ball at his feet, often opting to hit the ball long to the strikers rather than play inside with his right-foot. He's just a bit too one-dimensional.

His position in the squad may be saved by Jack Robinson's injury that is going to keep him out for the early part of the season, and the two years that he still has left on his current deal, but the addition of Harper certainly puts the former Preston North End man's future in the team into question.

Alfie McCalmont

The final home match of the season was arguably Alfie McCalmont's best game all season long, netting a goal in a 3-1 loss to Wycombe Wanderers.

But what came before that has certainly made his position in the team look in doubt. He was suspected of being part of a small group of players who went out less than 48 hours before their Easter Monday game against Lincoln City.

These players were not named but were subsequently punished. McCalmont, alongside Jordan Gibson, were notably left out of the matchday squads for three consecutive games following an internal investigation by the club after the Lincoln match.

Discounting this suspected behaviour, he is quite far down the midfield pecking order, with arguably six players ahead of him, when fit.

He is in need of an impressive pre-season to try and get himself back in contention for the starting spots.