Carlisle United must retain talent that once convinced Arsenal & Norwich City | OneFootball

This one player could turn out to be the Blues' biggest acquisition of the whole summer.

Carlisle United are in the midst of a very crucial week as they prepare for their first season back in the National League.

The Blues have already taken care of one bit of business by appointing Marc Tierney to be their new Head of Football Operations - a remodeling of the sporting director role that Rob Clarkson previously held - but the more pressing issues pertain to that of the squad and the manager, whose future is still not clear, although a decision on Mark Hughes' future is set to be announced "in the coming days," as per club chairman Tom Piatak.

Carlisle's squad has majorly let the club down over the past two seasons. All four transfer windows over that period have been below par, and it would not bring much displeasure to many supporters if a major cull happened on the playing side of things.

Arguably the most positively surprising move that the Blues have made since they were promoted was signing Matthew Dennis in February, Hughes' only transfer.

His six goals in 14 appearances topped the club's scoring charts for this season, and while they weren't enough to save Carlisle from the drop, his impact on the pitch, once he hit form, was clear. He could have a real impact on their promotion hopes for next season, both if he is or isn't there. Carlisle will surely feel like they have lost a potential gem if he is to leave this summer.

Ex-Arsenal and Norwich talent's surprising hot-streak with Carlisle United

Dennis, 23, only signed a short-term deal when he arrived at Brunton Park. The former Arsenal and Norwich City academy member had previously been contracted to MK Dons and was sent out to Rochdale in the National League for the first half of the 2024/25 campaign. Four appearances, 110 total minutes and no goals didn't do much to suggest he was up to playing in the fifth tier.

It was a shock, therefore, to see him be signed by the then League Two outfit as a free agent not long after the winter transfer window had finished, but there's no doubting now that he proved many of his doubters to be wrong.

His first, and potentially most important, goal for the club came in a 1-0 away win over rivals Barrow in his fourth appearance for the club. A tidy finish past Paul Farman in the first half revealed a glimpse of the talent that the Gunners and the Canaries saw in the youngster when he was on their books, and he continued to chip away with strong performances and goal contributions.

He racked up five more goals and one assist in the following dozen games that were left in the season, taking him to a record of a goal or assist every two games.

Carlisle have to hold onto Matthew Dennis to boost their National League promotion hopes

It's the first time in men's football that he's found his scoring boots. Carlisle now know that they have an obvious talent on their hands, but one that they may struggle to keep given their league status and his performances in the fourth tier.

Clubs from United's former level will surely be courting Dennis this summer, but, if the Blues can convince him to stay at Brunton Park for at least another season, they could have a really strong attack already for the 2025/26 campaign.

Dennis and Georgie Kelly formed a lovely bond in the final half-a-dozen games of the season, when the Irishman hit form too, netting five goals and an assist.

The pair have combined a pedigree that's way above the fifth tier and, with Charlie Wyke as an experienced option to add to that, the Blues could be onto something good at the top end of the pitch.

Carlisle don't need to worry about Kelly and Wyke's contracts; they're both tied down until the summers of 2027 and 2026, respectively. Keeping Dennis on board to complete the trifecta is going to be the challenging part, but all the evidence we've seen of him in a blue shirt suggests that he'll be worth the money that they can offer him.