This League Two Side Are Getting Ripped Apart This January

This League Two Side Are Getting Ripped Apart This January

Unless you are a fan of Wolves, West Ham, Sheffield Wednesday or Port Vale, in which case things are bad enough for you already, then please take a moment to spare a thought for poor Cheltenham Town. They've just had a potentially season-defining week.

The January transfer market can be a great time to sure up in positions that have been hit by injury and make a few necessary changes to the squad to bolster your line-up for the rest of the season, but every now a club has a month that leaves them struggling for the remainder of the campaign.

Now the Robins haven't exactly been high-flying, currently sat in 18th in League Two, but they've had some decent players within their ranks across the first half of 2025/26, primarly on the attack.

Unfortunately for Steve Cotterill's side, though, they've all become shorter term fixes than anticipated.

We're only a week into the transfer window and Cheltenham have already lost arguably their three best players, and they have received literally nothing in return, as two were loan recalls and one had his short-term contract come to an end, just to sign for a new side days later.

It's fine though, because their next best player is also linked with a move away!

If you're a fan of Cheltenham, you might want to look away until the end of May, and then see where your side is at that point.

Who is Departing?

As mentioned earlier, the Robins didn't receive any compensation for their three best players leaving, which makes this situation all the more frustrating for Cotterill, who is not able to reinvest into the squad following his losses.

Hakeeb Adelakun has become something of an EFL journeyman, never really settling at any club besides for Scunthorpe, where he came through as a teenager.

He's found himself loaned out on four separate occasions, and has spent the last couple of seasons on short-term deals at Salford and Cheltenham.

He only joined the Robins in November, making 12 appearances for the side, but impressively registering seven goal contributions in that time, with three goals and four assists.

We can confirm that an agreement has been made for the early cancellation of Hakeeb Adelakun's contract. The forward has subsequently joined Doncaster Rovers.#ctfc♦️

— Cheltenham Town (@CTFCofficial) January 6, 2026

HE'S B-HAK!

We are delighted to confirm the signing of forward Hakeeb Adelakun on an 18-month deal

🗞️https://t.co/RYhtutwTiT#DRFC pic.twitter.com/dVolBA4fmH

— Doncaster Rovers FC (@drfc_official) January 6, 2026

Adelakun's contract was terminated early so the winger could return to Doncaster, who are struggling at the bottom end of League One, which begs the question, why is there no payment going Cheltenham's way?

Perhaps part of his agreement with Cotterill was that he was free to leave if he agreed a deal with Doncaster, in which case Cheltenham still managed to get 12 games out of him, but they will now be left without his quality for the rest of the season.

Similarly to Adelakun's case, Ethon Archer's departure comes as no surprise to the Robins, as a January return to Luton Town from his loan was part of the deal agreed between the two clubs.

Archer signed for the Hatters on deadline day of the 2025 summer transfer window and was loaned back to Cheltenham to continue his development for half a season, but now he joins Luton to become one of their many wingers.

Thank you, Ethon ❤️

We can now confirm that Ethon Archer has returned to parent club Luton Town following the end of his loan spell with the Robins.#ctfc♦️

— Cheltenham Town (@CTFCofficial) January 3, 2026

By the looks of things, he'll be a big absence in the dressing room too, with Cotterill stating: "I'll miss him being around."

"I'll miss him being around" - Steve Cotterill on Ethon Archer after his final appearance before linking up with Luton Town #ctfc pic.twitter.com/jvJC83TjWL

— Jon Palmer (@JonPalmerSport) January 1, 2026

Isaac Hutchinson's recall to Bristol Rovers was probably less expected, and could be the most damaging of all for Cheltenham, who have now lost a very good midfielder to a side chasing them in the league.

Hutchinson had fallen out with the Pirates, which saw him sent out on loan by Darrell Clarke in the summer, but now the club is under the leadership of Steve Evans, he wants to leave any disagreements in the past and continue his journey in Bristol.

Rovers have had, by their standards, a grim season, including a run of 13 league games without a win, that saw them plunged into the relegation battle despite playing in League One last year.

With a player like Hutchinson to strengthen their squad, though, they could be set for a brighter second half of the campaign, and the signs are certainly there, evidenced by their 3-0 win away at Shrewsbury on New Years Day.

Bristol Rovers can confirm that Isaac Hutchinson has been recalled from his loan with Cheltenham Town.

— Bristol Rovers (@Official_BRFC) January 6, 2026

For Cheltenham, this is a case of having their squad significantly weakened, while the sides behind them are getting stronger, which could result in a very difficult few months and potentially a battle to stay in the Football League.

To make matters worse, Jordan Thomas, who has looked promising on the wing this season is linked with a move away to the top end of League One, with Stockport County and Bradford City set to fight for his signiture this month.

🚨 EXCLUSIVE 🚨

League One pair Bradford City and Stockport County are set to battle it out for Cheltenham Town winger Jordan Thomas in January, Football League World can exclusively reveal 👀👇

Read more: https://t.co/83U5qBPSVF#BCAFC #SCFC #CTFC

— Football League World (@FootballLeagueW) December 31, 2025

What next for Cheltenham?

There's no doubt that Steve Cotterill will have some concerns about the quality of his squad now, considering he has lost major creative outlets and the highest goalscoring players at the club this season.

Their two out-and-out strikers, George Miller and Jake Bickerstaff, have just four league goals between them this season, so he'll be desperate to bring in some attacking talent to give them any hope of picking up points going forward.

Perhaps the only real positive that Cheltenham can cling on to at the moment is that, despite their difficult start to the season on paper, they've got a very good gaffer at the helm.

Cotterill is incredibly experienced in the EFL, managing the likes of Shrewsbury, Birmingham and seeing incredible success at Bristol City, so I'm sure he'll be able to steer the ship away from the danger of falling into the National League.

As a result of his managerial endeavours, he is likely to be able to attract players to the club as a result of his reputation - Cheltenham are going to need the Steve Cotterill pull to be strong in January.

Despite being down in 18th, the Robins' points tally is actually closer to the play-offs, where they are 10 points behind seventh and 13 points ahead of 23rd, but without some reinforcements in the next few weeks, they look like they might edge closer towards the bottom of the table over the next few months.