Despite their seeming strength in forward areas, Swindon Town could do with keeping an eye out for possible signings this summer.
Whilst Swindon are well stocked up front, arguably no part of the team has more of a wealth of options, there is still cause for Ian Holloway to look at racking and stacking further. With Harry Smith recovering from a major injury, and likely to miss the start of the season, and Ollie Palmer not being the same type of striker, finding someone who can step in for Smith feels important.
Additionally, Aaron Drinan and Fletcher Holman are two players that other teams have been looking at, and so Swindon will need to be wise to potential replacements should any bid become too good to refuse.
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Smith stand-in
Holloway admitted last season that Palmer is a very different kind of player than Smith, and not really someone you can just swing crosses into and expect he will win the headers.
With Swindon wanting to be a team that gets the ball wide and creates chances through crossing, having someone who can reliably get on the end of things is quite important. Although, with Smith strongly in the picture, they would also need to be a player who would be happy not being a guaranteed starter.
One option here could be Courtney Baker-Richardson, who has been a consistently good target man and link player at League Two level throughout his career.
Whilst he has only hit double figures once in his career, Baker-Richardson is a titan in the air, and even in a tough season was in the top 30 per cent of League Two strikers for aerial duels won and aerial duel win rate. He is the sort of player Aaron Drinan would enjoy playing with, as he acts as an excellent foil for his strike partner.
He also makes himself known without the ball, something Holloway will want, by ranking in the top 15 per cent for defensive contributions per 90 minutes.
Crewe Alexandra’s Omar Bogle was exclusively a substitute last season, but has the kind of physical prowess that is valuable for seeing games out or going for broke in the final stages, as he ranked in the top 15 per cent for aerial dual win rate in 2024/25.
Break glass in case of emergency
Swindon will be desperate to keep hold of Drinan and Holman, but there is sure to be interest in both. Their energy and goalscoring ability are key to any promotion charge, and having a contingency plan is important.
I will break with tradition here and suggest a player who is under contract elsewhere, in the son of one of Holloway’s former strikers, Brett Ormerod: AFC Fylde’s Danny Ormerod.
The 20-year-old bagged 28 goals in 40 National League North appearances last season, laying on another seven for his teammates.
Largely playing through the middle, put also able to play out wide, Ormerod has the kind of pace and eye for goal that Swindon would be looking for. Most of his goals come from breaking in behind, often using his excellent anticipation to time runs off the shoulder, or picking up on scraps in the box.
Whilst a bit raw, Detlef Osong, who was recently released by Nottingham Forest, is an interesting prospect with his all-action approach.
Although he only started four games for Fleetwood Town last season, he got two goals and an assist, and was probably unlucky to only get that, as he was in the top five per cent of strikers for big chances created and successful dribbles per 90 minutes.
He will also put the work in without the ball, also being in the top five per cent for possession won in the final third per 90.
