2026-27 Recruitment Plan for Tamworth

Player Decisions

Retain

Jas Singh, Daniel Rachel, Jordan Cullinane-Liburd, Haydn Hollis, Luke Fairlamb, Ben Milnes, Tom McGlinchey, Teo Kurtaran, Ben Acquaye, Dan Creaney

Release

Callum Cockerill-Mollett, Matt Curley, CJ Nyakuhwa, Alfie Bates, Joe Riley, Tom Tonks, Jordan Ponticelli

Lose

Kennedy Digie,

Sign

TJ Bramble, Joshua Bailey, Oliver Dyson, Morgan Roberts, Tommy Fogarty, Tom Handley, Tom Parkes, Tyler Lyttle

Retained Squad

New Signings

Luke Bell (Coventry City – free)

The Lambs retained the services of experienced goalkeeper Jasbir Singh, while they have also re-signed Daniel Rachel going into 2026-27. Singh is now 36 years of age, while Rachel is only 19 years of age and untested in the National League. If I was Andy Peaks, I would be looking to use this season as the ideal opportunity to sign a young goalkeeper and develop them as the long-term successor to Singh. 

One player that I would look at as a potential candidate for that goalkeeping berth is Coventry City’s Luke Bell. The 22-year-old Sky Blues goalkeeper has yet to experience first-team football, and so would definitely be a signing with the view of being a project for The Lambs. 

One of the benefits that I think The Lambs would get in signing a player like Bell is that he is that little bit further along in his development than Rachel, and would allow Rachel to himself go out on loan and develop with the benefit of first-team minutes. Singh is an undisputed #1 for Tamworth, and so Rachel is never going to get the opportunities to properly develop and find his feet. If I were Andy Peaks, I would look to get him a loan and so signing another goalkeeper like Bell would afford them such luxury. 

With Singh now 36 years of age, I think that The Lambs have got to try and plan for the future and bring in a successor for him. Rachel is still a long way off in his development, and if I were Andy Peaks then I wouldn’t be relying on him as an understudy in the National League given that they should be pushing for the top seven. 

With The Sky Blues winning promotion to the top flight, Bell is likely to have to go out and find himself a new club – be it on loan, or permanently – and so I think that signing for a National League is a sensible level at which to pitch the youngster. While he remains contracted to Coventry City, I think that he would be a clever acquisition for The Lambs as a long-term project for them to work with. Singh would be a good mentor for the youngster, and so if I were The Lambs then I would try to bring him into the club.

Isaac Moore (Coventry City – loan)

With Stefan Mols departing the club, one area in which The Lambs will be looking to strengthen is the #10 position. One player that spent time on loan in the National League last year that I think would be attainable for them and that I think is a talented player is youngster Isaac Moore. The Lambs are conveniently located to take advantage of one of the best academies in England on their doorstep in The Sky Blues, and I think that Moore could represent a clever loan addition. 

I think that if Moore is to go out on loan again this summer then the National League is a fairly likely destination for him, and I feel that is the right level at which to pitch him. If I were in Coventry City’s position, I would be looking to find him an opportunity whereby he can go and play regular minutes at a good level and I think that is more likely to happen signing for a club in the National League. Especially with Mols having moved on and with the #10 vacancy having opened up, I feel signing for The Lambs could be a good option for him. 

As a player, Moore is a technically proficient midfielder that has got a delicate weight of pass, a progressive passer through the lines and with an eye for goal. He is a good size standing at 6ft 2in, and has got incredible energy with and without the ball. In terms of the attributes that they are having to try and replace with an energetic, high-intensity, creative ball-player in Mols, I think Moore represents a good profile for that. He is box-to-box, a willing presser, and makes efficient use of the ball in an attacking sense in playing neat one-two’s, at speed and on the half-turn off either feet. 

One of the reasons as to why I feel Tamworth could be a good destination for Moore is the fact that Tamworth are set up to be fairly strong without the ball, and so there is that positional license to go and get involved in the attacking play. The Lambs are not adventurous in their defensive ambition when they have got the ball and are set-up to be organised, and so I feel that allows the attacking players greater freedom to go and pick up clever positions on the pitch and have greater flexibility in their movement and this is what I feel would benefit Moore. He is a talented player technically, and so allowing him to go and get involved in the play will get the best out of him rather than restricting him to a positional role in a more methodical, structured attacking set-up.

I think that the loan market is one avenue in which The Lambs could exploit more, and so I would be actively looking at those one or two players that they could sign to elevate the group. Moore is a player that I feel would definitely improve their attacking options, and so if they can get him then I would go all out to make him a Lambs player going into 2026-27.

George Morrison (Fleetwood Town – fee)

With The Lambs having completed a takeover recently and now under new ownership, I think that they may well have greater financial wiggle room to go and make a few investments in the summer. One player that I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see The Lambs look at re-signing during the summer if they can get the right price is youngster George Morrison. 

Morrison is a player that needs little introduction to Andy Peaks, given that the youngster spent time on loan with The Lambs. The midfielder did particularly well during his loan spell, and he was only recalled to be in and around the first-team at Fleetwood Town. Regular minutes have not materialised with The Cod Army since returning to Higbury, and so it wouldn’t surprise me if he was allowed to leave. If I were Morrison, I would be angling for a move away from the club going into 2026-27. 

The youngster plays largely off that right-hand side of midfield, and that is an area in which The Lambs perhaps looked a little short in 2025-26. While they have already signed Morgan Roberts – a player that likewise operates most effectively from the right – I think that signing Morrison would provide them with useful competition in an attacking sense. Roberts is a slightly more technical type that looks to engage defenders and navigate out of tight spaces, yet Morrison has greater energy, slightly more functional without the ball and makes more efficient use of the ball than a player with a high volume of touches such as Morrison. 

While he largely plays out wide, I feel that Morrison could comfortably manage playing in a central role. He is technically strong. He has good delivery, a delicate weight of pass, and if he can slow himself down and develop that extra bit of consistency in his final action then he can be fairly creative. 

With increased investment, 20-year-old Morrison is the type of player that they could try and revisit now, and try to bring back into the club on a permanent deal. I don’t think that Town would ask for too much in the way of a transfer fee for the youngster, and as a long-term investment then I think that he represents good value for The Lambs. I would look to try and build on the loan spell that he has had at the club previously, and given that Andy Peaks likely wanted to keep him when they had him last then this summer may be the ideal time to go and re-engage with the youngster. 

The youngster was only 18 years of age when he was last on loan with The Lambs, and so he is now two years further along in his development. I feel that the youngster can play anywhere in the three positions playing in behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1, and so I think that he offers good value for Andy Peaks in what will likely be a smaller squad than some of the other sides at the level. He works hard off the ball and is creative with it, and I think he is a really exciting prospect to sign if they can negotiate the right price.

Josh Martin (Cheltenham Town – free)

One area in which I feel The Lambs need to strengthen is on the left-hand side. I think that The Lambs lack natural width, and I would be looking to sign an out-and-out winger that can provide them with more of an outlet in transition. One option that I would look at having been released by Cheltenham Town at the end of the 2025-26 campaign is Josh Martin. 

Looking at the attacking profiles that The Lambs have got currently on their books, I think that Martin provides Andy Peaks with something slightly different in terms of how direct he is in his running, willingness to commit players, drive into space and in the trickery of his footwork. I feel that he is best playing off the left-hand side, as he is capable of drifting inside the play and getting shots off. 

The signings that The Lambs have made so far this summer have been largely from a lower level and stepping up into the National League for the first time, and so signing a player of Martin’s experience at the age of 24-years-old provides Andy Peaks with a proven operator that has played higher. If The Lambs are to be competitive at the top end of the National League and capable of pushing towards the top seven, I feel they have got to try and find a few more ‘tried and tested’ options that are more technically sound and Josh Martin is that. 

As a profile, I really like what I see from Martin. He is a diminutive customer, with quick feet, tricky, agile movement, and his low centre of gravity allows him to quickly change direction when carrying the ball. He has a lovely ability to drop a shoulder and work the ball out of his path, and in terms of his ability to carry the ball into space then I think that he can be particularly effective. The Lambs were fairly direct in their build-up last season and have been under Andy Peaks’ leadership, and so having that more technical profile that can progress the ball through carrying at speed allows them to diversify their attack and be more penetrative against a low block. 

The youngster made 23 appearances for Cheltenham Town in League Two last season, and so I think that he would represent a coup for The Lambs if they are able to get him into the club going into 2026-27. I feel he would be attainable for them – especially with the increased investment into the club – and so I think he would be a good signing for The Lambs.

Brad Holmes (Curzon Ashton – free)

One avenue that Tamworth have sought to utilise so far this summer is signing players from lower in the non-league pyramid. One player that impressed me during the 2025-26 when I watched them play and that I think could be a clever option to sign as an alternative option to Dan Creaney is Curzon Ashton’s Brad Holmes. 

With Curzon Ashton being relegated out of the National League, Holmes will likely be looking to get a move to stay in the National League North or move higher in the off season. At the very least, I don’t expect him to start the campaign with Curzon Ashton going into the new campaign as his return last year was more than respectable given the team’s collective struggles. To get a total of 11 goals in a side that was battling against relegation is impressive. 

With all of the business that The Lambs have done this summer, I feel that there is a focus on signing a young profile of player to complement the existing group that they retained from last year. Holmes represents the type of profile that they should be investing in. He is 23 years of age, and so has a lot of long-term value. He is out of a professional academy from a higher level (at Blackpool). Whereas Creaney is your ‘tried and trusted’ option, Holmes is a player that can develop. 

One of the things that I like about Brad Holmes in terms of being a fit for this Tamworth side is the fact that he comes off the back of a spell in which he has demonstrated that he is self-sufficient. The Lambs are not the most creative outfit from open-play in the National League, and so the strikers that do lead the line for Tamworth need to have the all-round skillset such that they can feed on scraps. Curzon Ashton struggled in 2025-26, and they often didn’t have a great deal of possession. The fact that Holmes was able to score as many goals as he did despite this underlines his intelligence, movement and quality of his ball-striking. 

I expect that he will be on the move, and so if I were Andy Peaks then I would get in the queue for his signature. He has got a number of attributes that I really like, and he represents a fairly low-risk, high reward option that they can invest in. He provides The Lambs with a little bit more mobility and pace in the forward line to that which they have currently, and so I think he would be a good option to pursue.

Manny Duku (Rochdale – free)

The final player that I would look at if I were Andy Peaks to sign this summer is someone that they know well already in the form of Manny Duku. The former Rochdale striker spent time at Tamworth previously, and after being let go by Dale upon their promotion to the Football League then I think he could be worth a look if they can work a deal for the right money. 

Manny Duku left Rochdale in the summer, and so he comes off the back of a season in which he won promotion out of the National League. Duku’s role within Dale’s squad was in providing an alternative to Mani Dieseruvwe in terms of providing that physical presence at the top end of the pitch that you can play off and work the ball into, and in providing an outlet that they can build the play around when they are in transition. 

In terms of his profile, Duku is well-suited to a Tamworth side. He is an imposing and aerially proficient operator with a great spring on him. One of the things that I particularly like about Duku is the fact that he is slightly unorthodox and unpolished in his play. That unpredictability can be hugely effective when it is used correctly, and he is a handful for defenders to play against. He backs in well, works hard, combative and aggressive in his play style, and he wants to cause havoc. 

One of the reasons as to why I think that Duku would be a good option for Andy Peaks’ side is due to the fact that Peaks is one of the most talented in terms of platforming players effectively. Whilst he is perhaps not the most technically competent, I feel that Peaks was able to play to his strengths and in getting the best out of him perhaps better than managers have done with him before. 

The other factor that I feel provides value in Duku signing for The Lambs is the fact that he is a good stylistic fit. The Lambs are a fairly direct side that rely on going from back to front quickly, and they need to have that physical presence. Even if Duku is not a starter and is only used sparringly off the bench, I feel that Duku could well be an under-the-radar pick for The Lambs to give them another outlet, with National League experience and a good physical profile.

As an out-and-out goal-scoring #9, I don’t feel Duku is going to ever be that as his game is built around the physicality and use of his frame in disrupting defenders. However, I think that in a squad you’ve got to have the right balance and a depth of options to cover all bases. I am always an advocate for having different ‘tools in the bag’, and I feel that there is value in having a player of Manny Duku’s physical profile. He is unorthodox to play against, and that can be a useful option to have.