Chesterfield: Non-league star or fan favourite could combat any Berry, Markanday blow | OneFootball

With James Berry and Dilan Markanday rumoured to leave Chesterfield in January, Paul Cook may turn to non-league or to a former star to replace them.

Having not made a January transfer in two years, Chesterfield boss Paul Cook has hinted at a busy month on the transfer front, with over 10 players sidelined with injuries and suspensions, decisions on 16 out-of-contract players still to be made, and the rumoured departure of two stars.

Former Macclesfield winger James Berry has been linked with an exit this January, attracting interest from multiple Championship clubs in the first half of the season.

The left-winger started the season on fire and by November he had racked up seven goals and two assists in League Two, which at the time, made him the joint-top scorer in the competition.

A mixture of injuries and squad rotation has meant Berry’s output has dropped off in recent months, but his ability is undeniable.

Blessed with lightning-quick feet, a burst of pace and an eye for goal, Berry has been a real difference-maker for Chesterfield this season, often providing a bright spark and a moment of magic that results in a goal.

With 18 months left on his current deal and Chesterfield in a strong selling position, any team who wants Berry this winter will likely have to cough up a sizable fee for the 24-year-old, who has also netted three goals in the EFL Trophy this season.

While the former Hull City man has operated from the left wing this season, the future of Chesterfield’s right-winger Dilan Markanday is also a hot topic as the January window opens.

Markanday, who has started 22 of Chesterfield’s 24 League Two matches, while scoring six and assisting three, is subject to a clause in his loan contract that would allow parent club Blackburn Rovers to recall him this month.

In November, Rovers’ boss John Eustace hinted Markanday could be recalled this month, with the 23-year-old not allowed to feature for the Spireites in the FA Cup to risk cup-tying him.

At the start of this month, Eustace claimed no decisions on any senior loan players had been made, so the Spireites could be in for a nervous few weeks as they await the decision.

The former Tottenham man has had his say and does not want his parent club’s decision to "stunt his development", with the 23-year-old happy with the amount of pitch time he’s getting in Derbyshire.

The Spireites losing both of their starting wingers in January is a very real possibility, but Cook would likely be armed with a healthy war chest to reinvest in the squad.

Should he need to sign replacements on the flanks, he could look to the National League or seek a reunion with a fan favourite.

Chesterfield could target Forest Green Rovers' Kyle McAllister

With signings such as Berry, Kane Drummond and Ryan Colclough, Cook has shown in recent years he’s not afraid of signing players from non-league, and Forest Green winger Kyle McAllister may just have a case for being the National League’s best player this season.

The 25-year-old is comfortable playing on either wing or even at striker, and he is their top scorer with eight goals, as they sit just one point behind York City at the top of the table.

Only Gateshead’s Regan Booty has more assists (nine) than McAllister’s eight, with his combined 15 goals and assists in the league ranking more than any Chesterfield player.

Now into his third full season in Gloucestershire, McAllister proved his quality in League Two last season, with no Rovers player getting more than his seven assists, while only Matty Stevens scored more than McAllister’s six.

Rovers’ website describe the former St Mirren man as "dynamic and full of trickery on the ball’, with an ability to ‘ghost past players", which is reminiscent of both Markanday and Berry, so he would make a great like-for-like replacement for either man.

Price could be a stumbling block, however, with Steve Cotterill unlikely to part ways with his star man during a title challenge for a small fee.

However, if there is truth to the reports that suggest Chesterfield would want up to £5 million for Berry, the Spireites would not be short on cash.

Paul Cook could seek Gboly Ariyibi reunion

A man both Spireites fans and Cook know very well, while the signing of free agent Ariyibi may be a risk, if the Chesterfield boss could get the best out of the 29-year-old, he could have the potential to light up League Two.

After spending the last few years playing in both Greece and Turkey, the former USA U23s international finds himself without a club, but he posted a picture on his Instagram account training at St George’s Park last month.

Ariyibi has worked with Cook before, during his first spell in charge of Chesterfield, as Ariyibi made 14 League One appearances under the 57-year-old during the Spireites’ run to the play-off semi-finals in 2014/15, scoring one and assisting two.

Cook has a reputation for signing players he’s worked with before, with Chey Dunkley, Michael Jacobs, Ryan Colclough and Will Grigg all in the current squad, who have previous experience under the experienced coach.

The Leeds academy graduate made 83 League One appearances for Town, scoring three and assisting 14, and at his best, Ariyibi was unstoppable and will go down as one of the most skillful players in Chesterfield’s recent history.

Aryibi is remembered as a fan’s favourite and people have coined him a ‘streets won’t forget’ player, so he would likely be welcomed back to Derbyshire in open arms by supporters.

Unless both Berry and Markanday are both to depart this winter, it is unlikely that a deal will be struck for the 29-year-old, who has been without a club since the summer, but if the Spireites are scrambling around for replacements at the end of the month, a full-fit and firing Gboly Ariybi on a free could be an option.