Grimsby Town have come to an end of another transfer window, with the deadline now slamming shut for the season until it reopens again in the summer.
In total, manager Paul Hurst has made four new additions to his squad, with three of the four signings coming within the final few hours of the transfer window.
As well as that, January saw the departure of five first team players, with four of the five leaving the club to return to their parent clubs following the expiration of their respective loans.
Here is a run through of all the business the Mariners have done over the past month, as well as an overall verdict as to how well the club has recruited.
Outgoings
Keyendrah Simmonds
One of the first players to depart Blundell Park in the month of January was Keyendrah Simmonds.
Simmonds was an unexpected deadline day signing in the summer, signing on loan until January from Birmingham City in the Championship.
The 21-year-old made 13 appearances for the Mariners in all competitions, scoring and assisting once.
His only goal for Grimsby came in the Papa John's Trophy, he scored an early goal against Manchester City U21's, where Simmonds used to play his football before making the swich to Birmingham.
Aribim Pepple
Young striker Aribim Pepple was another player to depart the Mariners in January, with his season-long loan from Luton Town being cut short.
Pepple made the move to Blundell Park last summer, being sent out on loan from the Championship side following his move to Kenilworth Road from Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC.
The 20-year-old, born in Kettering, made 15 appearances in all competitions for the club whist also having a taste of English football for the first time in North East Lincolnshire.
On Pepple's departure, manager Paul Hurst told the clubs official website:
“Bim hasn’t had quite as many chances as he would have wished but I’d like to thank him for his time and his efforts with us. He was a popular lad around the Club, a nice person, and we wish him well.”
As well as that, Hurst has acknowledged the fact that this was a big move for Pepple coming over from Canada and has hoped he has contributed in developing him as a player.
“You have to remember that it’s a big move, coming over from Canada to Luton and then he very quickly joined us on loan," said Hurst.
"He’s a young player that hopefully we’ve helped develop to a degree and there’s still a lot more development to come for him.”
Lewis Richardson
Striker Lewis Richardson was another player to depart the Mariners in January as he was recalled from his loan from parent club Burnley.
Richardson joined on deadline day last summer and scored two goals in 15 appearances for Grimsby, including the winning goal against Burton Albion in the third round of the FA Cup.
The 19-year-old was scheduled to be at Blundell Park until the end of the season, but an injury has since cut that loan move short as he returned to the table-topping Championship side.
At the time of Richardson’s departure, Hurst said: “We thank Lewis for his contribution to our season. Obviously the last one that he had set us up for this FA Cup game at Luton and I think that he showed, at times, what a good player he is.
“I think he could have a big future in the game so we thank Burnley for allowing him to come to us for the first half of the season and I’ll certainly be watching his career with interest.”
Brendan Kiernan
Winger Brendan Kiernan was another loan player that headed back to his parent club in January after the club decided against extending his loan or bringing him in on a permanent deal.
The 30-year-old joined from fellow League Two side Walsall on loan until January and managed to score four goals in 28 appearances in all competitions during his short time in North East Lincolnshire.
On transfer deadline day, Kiernan made the move to Hartlepool United on a free transfer after becoming surplus to requirements at the Saddlers.
Speaking on his return to Walsall at the time, Hurst told the clubs website: “He’s (Brendan Kiernan) done well for us over the period of time when he was here on loan, scoring a few goals and playing in a few different positions.
“However, I think we need to freshen the squad up and with limited loans available to us, that’s the decision that we have made. We genuinely wish Brendan well for his future career and thank him for the time he has spent with us.”
Jordan Maguire-Drew
In terms of key departures, you could say Jordan Maguire-Drew is the most notable of the five players leaving Blundell Park.
The 26-year-old winger joined National League side Yeovil Town on an initial one month loan back in December, with his loan move being made a permanent one in mid January.
Maguire-Drew scored seven goals in 28 appearance for the Mariners in total, which included the winning goal in the National League playoff final against Solihull Moors at West Ham United's London Stadium.
On Maguire-Drew's departure, Hurst said: “We decided to let Jordan go as, understandably, he’s been a little frustrated with the lack of first team action and wants to play football.
“We’ll obviously watch with interest how Jordan gets on but, for me, it shows he just wants to go and play, and I will never knock a player for that. Hopefully he can get the games that he’s craving.”
Incomings
Mikey O'Neill
It took Grimsby a little bit of time to make their first signing of the January transfer window, when they eventually did it was young attacker Mikey O'Neill.
O'Neill signed for the club on loan from Championship side Preston North End until the end of the season and can play as either an attacking midfielder, a winger or as a forward.
The 18-year-old has already made his debut for the club, starting in Grimsby's 5-0 defeat to Swindon Town on January 14, in which he was announced before the fixture.
On the signing, Hurst told the clubs website: “We moved pretty quick once we knew that. He can play in as a centre forward, as a number ten and can probably play coming in from a wide position potentially, as well.
"This is certainly a loan for him to come get some experience and some game time. From Preston’s point of view, they expect him to be involved with them moving forwards.
“We’re really pleased to get him. Hopefully it can be a success and it’s one that works for all parties.”
George Lloyd
The second name through the door as the first of three additions on transfer deadline day, with striker George Lloyd signing for the club on loan.
Lloyd signed on for the Mariners until the end of the season, on loan from League One Cheltenham Town.
The 22-year-old has scored 10 goals in 107 appearances for the Gloucestershire-based side, making 18 appearances for the club in all competitions this season.
Lloyd also had a brief spell at Port Vale last season when they were in League Two, making 11 appearances and scoring two goals before his season was ended by injury.
Upon signing, Lloyd said: "I’m buzzing to be here. When it came about, I gave it a bit of thought and spoke to the manager. That made me really want to come down and I’m glad that it’s done.
In terms of what type of striker he is, Lloyd added:
”Fundamentally, I’m a workhorse. I like to work hard and come off the pitch knowing that you’ve given 110%. That should be a given for anyone who is a professional athlete and hopefully I can chip in with some goals.”
Tom Dickson-Peters
The second of the three signings Grimsby made on transfer deadline day was in the form of young striker Tom Dickson-Peters.
Dickson-Peters joins the club on loan for the rest of the season from Championship side Norwich City.
The 20-year-old has come up through the youth ranks in Norfolk, bagging 23 goals in 42 appearances for the U18's and eventually going on to score 23 goals in 50 appearances for the U21's.
The forward has also had a taste of playing in the EFL previously, making nine appearances for Gillingham last season in League One.
On bringing Dickson-Peters to Blundell Park, manager Hurst said: "I’m really pleased to be able to bring Tom into the Club. He’s a player I’ve enquired about bringing in before but he wasn’t allowed out so I’m happy to get it sorted now.
“He adds to our options at the top end of the pitch and comes with a bit of experience from a loan spell in League One with Gillingham. I’m happy to be able to bring him to the Club.”
Josh Emmanuel
Grimsby's third and final addition on transfer deadline saw them sign right-back Josh Emmanuel.
Emmanuel joined the club for an undisclosed fee from Hull City, signing on a deal until the end of the season.
The 25-year-old defender brings a host of experience with him to Blundell Park, with his former clubs including Ipswich Town, Shrewsbury Town and Bolton Wanderers.
On signing for the club, Emmanuel said: “I’m very happy to be here. I’ve worked with the gaffer before and I know how well the Club did last season. Hopefully, we can have similar success for the rest of this season.
“I’m an attacking, energetic player. I really like to commit and give my all so hopefully I can do that to help bring success to the team and joy to the fans also.”
Other activity
Sean Scannell
In January, Grimsby confirmed that veteran winger Sean Scannell penned a new deal with the club until the end of the season.
The former Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town man joined the Mariners in 2020 after spells with Bradford City and Blackpool and has since gone onto make 28 appearances for the Club.
The 32-year-old made 12 appearances for Town in last season’s promotion-winning campaign before seeing his season ended by injury against Maidenhead United last Spring.
Scannell was offered a short-term contract extension until January in the summer which meant the club would look after him whilst he recovered from his injury, but has since put pen to paper until the end of the season following his return.
On signing the new deal, Scannell told the clubs official website:
”It’s great to sign the new deal because I’ve got myself to a point where I can kick on now. It’s almost like a different type of contract now – the last one was to get me back up and running to support me through it but now it’s like ‘you’re back now, so let’s kick on’.
“If I can get myself back to where I know I can be, I feel that I can be back out there again, doing what I do with a smile on my face.”
Stephen Wearne
January also saw the return of exciting young attacker Stephen Wearne following a short loan spell away from the club.
The 22-year-old joined the club in the summer following his release from Sunderland and has gone on to make 10 appearances for the Mariners, scoring one goal.
With his game time limited, Wearne made the switch to Torquay United in the National League initially one a one month loan in November, which was extended by another month in December, making nine appearances for the club.
His loan has since expired and he is now back at the club, available for selection.
Verdict
On the whole, when you look at Grimsby Town's transfer business over the past month, you could argue that some supporters would be slightly frustrated that the club have not really added much to the squad in specific areas that needed addressing and as well as that, three of the four new signings came on deadline day, which could be seen as desperation by some.
With the four players Grimsby have brought in this month, three of them are loanees, replacing the four players that were on loan for the first half of the season returning to their parent clubs.
The big question regarding that now is will those players improve the squad, and how much success will they have in their short time at the club.
No doubt the biggest departure for Grimsby that raised a few eyebrows was Jordan Maguire-Drew, who will go down in the club's history as the player who scored the goal that sealed an immediate return to the EFL after only one season away.
Despite that, in regards to the loans that have been brought in, Mikey O'Neill already looks a promising asset following his debut at Swindon, George Lloyd already has a good 100 appearances in the EFL to his name so he should know what he is getting himself into, and with Tom Dickson-Peters, it's clear to see he has a very good goal scoring record at youth level.
Of course, no signing is guaranteed to be a success and only time will tell if those loan signings turn out to be the correct ones and how much they can contribute.
The signing of Josh Emmanuel from Hull City is a shrewd bit of business on the whole.
Emmanuel is a player that has a lot of EFL experience to his name already at the age of 25 and was also an instrumental part of Hull's League One title-winning squad.
The only question about him however is can he get back to the levels he was at previously following a previous health scare. If he can be even half the player he was for the Tigers, it could prove to be an excellent signing.
It was clear that one of the main priorities on Hurst's shopping list was to bring in a few forwards, with the club only having two strikers on their books heading into deadline day.
Of course the signings of Lloyd and Dickson-Peters have eased the pressure on Danilo Orsi and Ryan Taylor up front, especially with the latter out injured, but there were rumours of a few forward players that were quickly coming and going.
A few of the names that Grimsby were rumoured to be in for are Solihull Moors striker Andrew Dallas, with reports that both the Mariners and Hartlepool had bids accepted for the Scottish forward.
Another forward that Grimsby were rumoured to be interested in was Lincoln City's Charles Vernam.
Despite the rumours that the Mariners were desperate for his signature which would've meant a return to Blundell Park for Vernam, a move never materialised as he stayed put with the Imps, leaving Grimsby in a difficult position come deadline day with the attacking positions looking light.
The frustration amongst the fanbase is understandable with this transfer window as some will argue the club still haven't got that proven goal scorer that has eluded the them for the best part of two years now, Despite John McAtee's 16 goals in the National League last season.
Ultimately time will tell if the four new recruits that have arrived at Blundell Park are the correct ones, one thing for sure is that the fans will be hoping these players prove to be a success in a black and white shirt as we enter the second-half of the season.
