Wycombe Wanderers midfielder Matt Butcher has been linked with a move away in January, with three clubs in the third division said to be interested.
Butcher has struggled for game time in the third division as Matt Bloomfield’s side took a surprising charge to the top of the table. They have remained resilient in hanging on to that spot as their own despite the best efforts of giants Birmingham City and Wrexham.
The Blues and the Dragons will be looking at how they can improve this window. Birmingham are linked with a move for ex-England international Nathan Redmond. Meanwhile, the need for a striker at the Racecourse continues to grow. While the sides chasing will be looking, so will the rest of the league, Wycombe included.
Three clubs in the mix for Matt Butcher.
According to Football League World, three clubs are interested in the midfielder. Northampton Town, Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury Town are all said to be keen on a move for the 27-year-old. All three could provide him more game time than he is currently seeing with the league leaders, whose season expectations will be different in the second half of this campaign compared to what they would have been aiming for at the start.
However, given the difference in league position, this could not be an attractive prospect to Butcher when you look at the league table.
Should Butcher stay with the Chairboys?
Butcher has only managed three starts in the third tier for Matt Bloomfield’s side. The 27-year-old has made 20 appearances for the team in the 2024/25 season. But while all of his appearances in the three cup competitions have been in the starting eleven, eight of his 11 league games have come from the bench.
He seems to be someone surplus to requirements at the side, but that may be due in part to this unexpected rise up the table from the Chairboys. The move would be surprising, considering he only joined earlier this year from Plymouth Argyle, but he needs more game time.
The problem comes from the risk of moving to any of the League One trio. Bristol Rovers are two points from the relegation zone and without a manager. Northampton Town are only ahead on goal difference. Shrewsbury find themselves in the most perilous position, rock bottom, ten points from safety. Any of these, if not all three, could be relegated come the end of the season, but bringing in players is the first step to turning results around. More game time would be attractive to the midfielder, but the prospect of playing in League Two when he was a Championship player a year ago would not be.
