Swindon Town forward Rushian Hepburn-Murphy has been unveiled as the latest Crawley Town signing, as the club’s high turnover transfer strategy continues to shock fans.
The 25-year-old is set to link up with the League Two play-off winners following the expiry of his contract at the Robins this weekend on an initial two year deal.
Hepburn-Murphy began his career as part of the youth academy at Aston Villa, enjoying spells on loan at Cambridge United, Tranmere Rovers and Derby County before joining Pafos for free in 2020.
He remained with the club for two years before now-Crawley Town manager Scott Lindsey signed him at Swindon in September 2022. He has made 52 appearances for the League Two side, scoring 12 goals and contributing four assists before his departure.
Now, according to the club website, he links up with Lindsey once again.
Rule One: Keep The Core Of The Squad Together
Having covered promoted teams for a number of years, the most successful at staying up tend to follow a simple pattern. Step One, keep the squad that got you up together.
There will always inevitably be a sale or two, but don’t ruin what brought you success in the first place. Step Two, add some additional quality to the side in key areas to prepare you for a new league.
Step One has already been failed. Crawley have ultimately sold their first team. All of their assets have been stripped and at this moment in time, either not been replaced or have been needlessly replaced without a notable upgrade.
Scott Lindsey is being expected to work magic once again, however taking the tools he used to do it last time away, seemingly against the wishes of some of those players and the manager, is likely a step too far.
If I was the former Swindon Town manager at this time, I would be handing my CV out and looking for an exit too whilst his stock is still high.
The owners may well be laughing after pundits predicted relegation last season. But rarely does lightning strike twice, there are a big few week ahead.