Paul Cook has Chesterfield set up to help new arrival hit Portsmouth heights | OneFootball

Peterborough left-back Jack Sparkes has struggled for form since leaving Portsmouth, but a loan move to Chesterfield could help him get back on track.

Paul Cook’s transfer exploits, especially in the loan market, have helped take Chesterfield’s squad to the next level, with the likes of Dilan Markanday, Harvey Araujo, and Max Thompson all impressing this season, and the Spireites may have struck gold with their latest acquisition.

In the last few days, Town announced the signing of full-back Jack Sparkes on-loan from Peterborough until the end of the season to take Chesterfield’s January signings to three, following deals made for Aribim Pepple and Janoi Donacien in recent weeks.

Chesterfield have struggled with injuries this campaign and Sparkes’ signing follows the news that left-footed defender Harvey Araujo, who has covered at left-back in the absence of Lewis Gordon, will be unavailable for at least two months with an injury.

This left former forgotten man Branden Horton, who wasn’t even registered in Cook’s League Two squad until December, as the club’s only fit left-back.

The 24-year-old joined Posh from Portsmouth in the summer, and made 21 League One appearances this season, including 18 starts, for Peterborough, who find themselves struggling in 19th after back-to-back play-off finishes.

The attacking full-back's form in the first half of the season has seen a drop-off from his days at Exeter City and Portsmouth, so Cook will be hoping Sparkes can catch fire in Derbyshire.

Sparkes already has two promotion campaigns under his belt

The defender is a product of the Exeter City youth set-up, and he made his breakthrough to the first-team in 2019/20, making 17 appearances as the Grecian’s made the League Two play-offs.

Sparkes was an ever-present the following season, making 42 League Two appearances, with three goals and four assists, flying forward from left-back, but disaster struck at the start of the 2021/22 season, as he picked up a shoulder injury in just the second game of the season which ruled him out for months.

He would make his long-awaited return to the squad in December, and once again cemented himself as Exeter’s starting left-back, making 21 League Two appearances as the Grecians earned promotion to the third tier.

After another solid season for Exeter, where he scored once and contributed five assists from left-back, Sparkes joined Portsmouth in the summer of 2023, and was a regular starter as Pompey lifted the League One title.

In all competitions, Sparkes made 43 appearances last campaign, and provided eight assists from left-back.

The Exmouth-born defender looked to be going from strength to strength ahead of his move to Peterborough this summer, but the move hasn’t quite worked out, as Posh currently have the worst defensive record in the league, having conceded 46 goals in just 25 games.

Despite having made 18 starts in the league this season, Sparkes, much like a lot of the Posh squad, has come under scrutiny from sections of the fanbase, questioning his defensive ability.

Chesterfield’s possession-based style compliments Sparkes’ best attributes

During both of his spells in charge of Chesterfield, Cook has played eye-catching, attacking football which gets fans off their seats, which could make Sparkes the perfect fit in Derbyshire.

In Cook’s 4-2-3-1 system, he likes his full-backs to get high and wide to join up with attacks, which allows inside forwards like Armando Dobra to drift inside and cause chaos on the edge of opposition areas.

Even wingers such as Liam Mandeville and Liam Jessop have been utilised at full-back in the past, which helps demonstrate what Cook is looking for from his right and left-backs.

With Sparkes at his best attacking down the left, the partnership of an in-from Dobra and the former Posh man could be a mouth-watering prospect for Town fans.

Having been a regular League One starter for the past three years, Sparkes will likely have the on-the-ball technical ability Cook looks for in his players.

On their way to lifting the League One title last season, Portsmouth averaged 58.4% possession under John Mousinho, and with Cook’s Chesterfield averaging 60.5% of the ball this campaign, the second highest in the league, Sparkes will likely be able to quickly adapt and fit into Cook’s system straight away.

As an attacking full-back, Sparkes’ best ability is his crossing, having provided 20 assists in 177 League One and Two appearances, and with him likely to be high and wide in Cook’s system, he’ll be able to put his ‘wand’ of a left-foot to good use.

The signing of target forward Pepple makes Sparkes’ crosses even more of a threat. The Luton Town loanee gives the left-back a focal point to hit in the opposition area, and although he is yet to score for the Spireites, the striker’s size and power has already proved a problem for Rotherham and Grimsby Town.

With bags of EFL experience under his belt at just 24-years-old, Cook will be hoping his new signing can spark some life, back into his off-the-boil Spireites.