Carlisle United: New Man City links should come in handy in January | OneFootball

It's an opportunity that must look to take advantage of, if they can.

There have been some big changes at Carlisle United this season but none may be more impactful, long-term, than the decision to switch from a manager to a head coach and a sporting director.

A general modernisation of the Cumbrian club has gone on since the Piatak family completed their takeover of the club in November 2023. Much of the evidence of the work that they have done can be seen on matchdays. The hospitality and general fan experience at Brunton Park has been hugely improved.

There's a new training ground that's going to be developed, there's been more spending on the playing staff, and, of course, there's someone new in charge of the first team.

Paul Simpson's departure just after the summer transfer window closed was not only seismic because of his standing within the club's history but also because of the change that followed it.

Carlisle's chairman, Tom Piatak, announced that there was going to be a structural change on the football side of the club. They poached Mike Williamson from MK Dons to be their new head coach, and, eventually, after reportedly missing out on another Milton Keynes target in Liam Sweeting, the Blues eventually landed Rob Clarkson as their first-ever sporting director.

He was an unknown entity to many when his appointment was announced. He'd never been a sporting director before, but the more that people found out about him, the more they were encouraged, particularly by his industry connections.

Sporting director's Man City connections should have Carlisle United supporters excited

Because of where Carlisle is, geographically, it's been hard for them to form the same sort of relationships with higher-ranked teams in the same way that many of their competitors do.

The likes of Newport County, who United were supposed to play last Saturday before Storm Darragh forced it to be postponed, are notorious for getting loanees from their Welsh counterparts, Cardiff City and Swansea City.

It's often through personal relationships that these connections are formed when it comes to the Blues. For a while, it was Crystal Palace and Fulham. This summer, it was another southern team: AFC Bournemouth. The common ground between Carlisle's chairman and their owner, Bill Foley, made the deals for Dan Adu-Adjei and Dominic Sadi easier to do.

Clarkson brings with him a very interesting connection: Manchester City. He worked for the reigning Premier League champions as a youth team analyst, in various forms. City have transformed their academy into one of the best in the world, regularly pumping out bright talents like Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Oscar Bobb.

Now, players of their standard aren't usually loaned out by Pep Guardiola's side, but there are plenty of their youth team players who do go out on temporary moves to EFL clubs.

Clarkson's connection to their academy, and the improved style of play under Williamson, should stand Carlisle in good stead should they decide to make any January pursuits of the Citizens' teenage talents.

Carlisle must take advantage of all their good new connections

It's not just Man City that Clarkson has a pre-existing relationship with. He was the Talent ID Lead for the FA for over two years, so he will have a very good knowledge of up-and-coming players, which will be handy for the loan market, plus he previously worked for Rangers and Sunderland.

The head coach has some good links too. He played for Newcastle United for a long time before going on to play, and then coach, Gateshead in the National League. His expertise in the non-leagues can definitely be used to the Blues' advantage in the new year.

The new owners, head coach, and sporting director all bring fresh contacts with them, and areas that may not have been explored before. Their financial resources should allow them to explore these avenues more freely, and will hopefully lead to a much more effective January window than the last one.