Exeter City: What Next for Sam Nombe?

Exeter easily clinched survival this season despite Matt Taylor’s mid-season exit. The Grecians finished mid-table and rarely looked in danger of dropping back into the fourth tier, however, it looks likely to be a significant few months for the club with Gary Caldwell overseeing his first summer transfer window and with several key players likely to depart.

Goalkeeper Jamal Blackman looks set to leave the club alongside Josh Key, Jonathan Grounds and Archie Collins. Veteran Kevin McDonald is also out of contract this summer and it remains to be seen whether the club will offer him a new deal.

Although he is still a year away from reaching the end of his contract at St. James’ Park, Sam Nombe may also have played his last game for the club. The sought-after striker has attracted admiring glances from several clubs.

Nombe finishes the season as the club’s top goal-scorer and averaged 0.44 goals per 90 minutes. He’d already equalled his goal tally for the previous season by late November and having previously struggled at this level for MK Dons, he looks to be finally fulfilling his potential in League One.

The 24-year old is clearly ambitious and has spoken of his desire to constantly improve. Although his season has been disrupted by a couple of niggly injuries, his explosive performances and composure in the final third has caused bottom-half Championship clubs and top-half League One sides to sit up and take notice.

Grecian fans will be desperately hoping that Nombe opts to sign a new contract, however, realistically, the club will be unable to convince him to remain in Devon for the foreseeable. Although the majority of the UK bookmakers are understandably yet to price up next season’s ante-post markets, sports betting sites are likely to have Exeter listed as one of the favourites for relegation next year. The club’s modest budget means that they are always up against it at this level and although they rarely looked like being dragged into the mire this time around, their poor end-of-season form is unlikely to reflect particularly positively when it comes to pricing up the relegation market for the 2023-24 campaign.

As a result, Nombe is far more likely to be attracted by a move to a side challenging for promotion. Relegated Blackpool will be looking to significantly strengthen their squad this summer whereas Peterborough will be looking to bolster their forward line should the division’s leading marksman Jonson Clarke-Harris leave London Road. Although a step-up to the Championship may be unrealistic, the striker has enough quality to compete at the top end of the third tier and he could easily bag 20 goals next season in the right set-up.

Although valuations of £350,000 may be short of the mark, Nombe is likely to fetch a decent fee and that money could be used to reinvest and strengthen the playing squad. With key players likely to depart over the coming weeks, the Exeter City XI could look vastly different at the beginning of August. Whether Nombe sticks around remains to be seen, however, with just a year left on his current contract, the club’s hierarchy may opt to cash in on one of their star assets.