With the transfer window closed again until January, clubs have finalised their squads for the upcoming season.
Ambitions change as targets are brought in meanwhile others have lost a number of their players.
There have been some wholesale changes to first-team squads with new managers in at the helm of Aberystwyth and the Cefn Druids.
The landscape of the Cymru Premier has changed too with two players from the Champions, moving to a side that finished in the bottom two last season.
Aberystwyth
| Arrivals | Departures |
| Sam Phillips – Winger – Cefn Druids | Marc Williams – Striker – Llandudno |
| Owen Orford – Right-Back – Unattached | Jamie Reed – Striker – Prestatyn |
| Alex Darlington – Striker – Cefn Druids | Gwion Owen – Midfielder – Colwyn Bay |
| Gregor Zabret – Goalkeeper – Ashton United | Geoff Kellaway – Winger – Penrhyncoch |
| Raul Correia – Striker – Bala Town | Ian Kearney – Centre-Back – Prestatyn |
| Louis Bradford – Centre-Back – TNS (Loan) | Harri Horwood – Left-Back – Penrhyncoch |
| Dan Cockerline – Striker – AFC Liverpool | |
| Steven Hewitt – Midfielder – Wythenstawe Town |
Speaking to Sgorio at the end of last season, newly appointed manager Antonio Corbisiero said his main aim for the window was to retain the bulk of his squad, and bring in three or four players to freshen things up. Overall, Corbisiero has achieved this goal.
The main losses for the Seasiders are the departures of Marc Williams and Jamie Reed, although the arrivals of Alex Darlington and Raul Correia should make up for the loss of experience up front.
Goalkeeper Gregor Zabret was highly rated whilst at Swansea’s academy, and will be hoping to fulfil his potential at Park Avenue. Owen Orford will be eager to kick-start his career after spending time in Cardiff and Forest Green’s academies, whilst winger Sam Phillips will hope to move on from a tough season with Cefn Druids.
Aber have also brought centre-back Louis Bradford back to Park Avenue for another loan spell. Bradford spent last season on loan with Aber, and made three appearances for TNS in their first league matches.
Bala
| Arrivals | Departures |
| David Edwards – Midfielder – Shrewsbury | Henry Jones – Midfielder – Haverfordwest County |
| Paul Rutherford – Winger – Wrexham | Jon Rushton – Goalkeeper – Flint Town |
| Danny Walker-Rice – Winger – Tranmere Rovers | Andrew Burns – Right-Back – Stafford Rangers |
| Calum Woods – Right-Back – SC East Bengal | Danny Gosset – Midfielder – Caernarfon |
| Bradley Bauress – Midfielder – Chester | Shaun Kelly – Centre-Back – City of Liverpool |
| Chris Sang – Striker – Wrexham | Llyr Morris – Striker – Colwyn Bay |
| Oliver Southern – Centre-Back – Curzon Ashton | Ryan Pryce – Right-Back – Hednesford |
| Jack Mackreth – Winger – Warrington | |
| Raul Correia – Striker – Aberystwyth |
Bala’s star signing is of course David Edwards, who joins from Shrewsbury. The 35-year-old has 43 Welsh caps to his name, and is the third member of Wales’ Euro 2016 squad to join the Cymru Premier.
Bala’s defence has taken a hit with the departures of Andrew Burns, Shaun Kelly and Ryan Pryce, with Calum Woods and Oliver Southern drafted in to cover these losses.
After Jack Mackreth and Raul Correia failed to make as much of an impression as hoped last season, Colin Caton will be hoping that attackers Paul Rutherford, Danny Walker-Rice and Chris Sang can take Bala to the next level. With plenty of attacking talent up front, Bradley Bauress has also arrived to compete with Antony Kay in the defensive midfield role.
Barry
| Arrivals | Departures |
| Aron Davies – Centre-Back – Redditch United | David Cotterill – Winger – Newtown |
| Marcus Day – Winger – Bristol Manor Farm | Kyle Patten – Centre-Back – Haverfordwest County |
| Kelland Absalom – Goalkeeper – Carmarthen Town | Lee Idzi – Goalkeeper – Haverfordwest County |
| Brandon Griffiths – Winger | Curtis Hutson – Winger – Redditch United |
| Josh Graham – Striker – Goytre AFC | |
| Jamie Bird – Winger – Bristol Manor Farm | |
| Michael George – Midfielder – Carmarthen |
Barry have seen a few of their first team regulars last season leave. Most notably of these are wingers David Cotterill and Curtis Hutson, who made 26 and 29 appearances last season respectively. Bristol City academy product Marcus Day, and Swansea academy product Brandon Griffiths are the men chosen by Gavin Chesterfield to fill the wing slots.
The other incoming transfers will also fill gaps left by departures from Jenner Park, with Kelland Absalom competing for the no. 1 jersey with Mike Lewis following Lee Idzi’s departure, and Aron Davies coming in at centre-back after Kyle Patten’s departure.
Caernarfon
| Arrivals | Departures |
| Dion Donohue – Left-Back – Barrow | Telor Williams – Left-Back – Flint Town |
| Danny Gosset – Midfielder – Bala Town | Mike Parker – Midfielder – Flint Town |
| Steve Evans – Centre-Back | Jack Kenny – Striker – Flint Town |
| Robert Hughes – Midfielder – Flint Town | Gareth Edwards – Centre-Back – Airbus UK Broughton |
| Iwan Cartwright – Midfielder – Cefn Druids | Joe Williams – Right-Back – Colwyn Bay |
| Jakub Ojrzyński – Goalkeeper – Liverpool (Loan) | Sam Jones – Winger – Colwyn Bay |
| Aaron Simpson – Defender – Cefn Druids | Nathan Craig – Midfielder – Porthmadog |
| Josh Bailey – Left-Back – TNS (Loan) | Josh Tibbets – Goalkeeper |
| Bobby Beaumont – Centre-Back – Sunderland | Lewis Brass – Goalkeeper – Bangor City |
| Paolo Mendes – Midfielder – Connah’s Quay | |
| Louis Malandjou-Kondjo – Midfielder |
Only eight senior players have stayed on from last season for Caernarfon.
The departures of Tibbets and Brass are blows, but were expected for the Cofis. Jakub Ojrzynski is man tasked with guarding the goal whilst on loan from Liverpool for the season.
One of the more surprising transfers of the window was Steve Evans’ return to playing. Four years since he last played, the former TNS assistant manager has put his boots back on. He replaces Gareth Edwards, who has left for Airbus, and brings much-needed experience to Caernarfon’s back-line.
Caernarfon have also brought Dion Donohue back to the club, after the left-back spent two seasons with the Cofis nearly a decade ago. Donohue has over 100 League One appearances to his name, and has made a huge impact already, having been named captain of Caernarfon and already signing an extension to his contract.
After a heroic return from cancer treatment, Danny Gosset has now moved to The Oval in search of more regular game time. He’s joined in midfield by Iwan Cartwright, who joins from Cefn Druids.
Attacking midfielder Rob Hughes has shown signs of fulfilling his undoubted potential since joining from Flint. Hughes’ assist for Darren Thomas’ goal against Connah’s Quay in particular catching the eye.
Caernarfon also bolstered their defence further with the loan arrival of Josh Bailey from TNS, and permanent arrival of Bobby Beaumont from Sunderland. Whilst primarily a centre-back, Beaumont started as a right wing-back in his debut against Denbigh.
Cardiff Metropolitan
| Arrivals | Departures |
| Adam Roscrow – Striker – The New Saints (Loan) | Dylan Rees – Right-Back – Haverfordwest |
| Abe Noad – Left-Back – Mangotsfield | Will Fuller – Goalkeeper – Bath City |
| Dan Warre – Striker – Chippenham Town | Bradley Woolridge – Centre-Back – Retired |
| Lewis Rees – Winger – The New Saints (Loan) | Sam Pashen – Midfielder – Taff’s Well |
| Guto Williams – Midfielder – Llandudno | |
| Liam Black – Centre-Back | |
| Kieron Proctor – Striker |
As could be expected from an university team like Cardiff Met, the window has been a fairly quiet one for them.
The return of Adam Roscrow on loan is of course the main attraction, and he will be hoping to recapture the form that he showed at his previous spell with the Students. Lewis Rees also rejoins Met on loan from the Saints.
It’s also worth keeping an eye on new arrival Dan Warre, who looked impressive in his debut as a substitute against Ammanford. Abe Noad’s arrival from Mangotsfield rounds off Met’s window.
The departures of Dylan Rees and Will Fuller will be big losses for the Archers, but they do have replacements already in the squad in the shape of Matt Chubb and Alex Lang. The loss of captain Bradley Woolridge however may be harder to deal with.
Cefn Druids
| Arrivals | Departures |
| Ben Wynne – Steven Gerrard Academy | Naim Arsan – Left-Back – Newtown |
| Derrick Amankwah – Steven Gerrard Academy | Tom Reilly – Midfielder – Prestatyn Town |
| Dominic Hesketh – Steven Gerrard Academy | Jacob Wise – Centre-Back– Prestatyn Town |
| Emmanuel Agyemang – Winger – Sangiuliano | Iwan Cartwright – Midfielder – Caernarfon Town |
| Jake Hampson – Winger – Chester | Sam Phillips – Winger – Aberystwyth Town |
| Liam Buckley – Right-Back – Chester | Alex Darlington – Striker – Aberystwyth Town |
| George Harry – Striker | Harry Brazel – Midfielder – Bury AFC |
| Andy Brown – Striker | Kieran Smith – Midfielder – Penycae |
| Yalany Baio – Midfielder | Aaron Simpson – Centre-Back – Caernarfon Town |
| Pavel Vieira – Midfielder | Josh Green – Right-Back |
| Aaron Pomeyie – Winger | Christoph Aziamale – Striker |
| Tony Davies – Centre-Back – Rhyl 1879 | Ben Barratt – Centre-Back – Prestatyn Town |
| Brandon Lockett – Midfielder – Radcliffe | Ryan Kershaw – Midfielder – Cefn Albion |
| Kane Lewis – Right-Back | Benjamin Edwards – Goalkeeper – Swansea University |
| Jose Ferreira – Right-Back – Oliveira do Hospital | |
| Ryan Neild – Goalkeeper – Runcorn Linnets | |
| Harry Farnsworth – Midfielder – Shawbury |
To call last season a disappointment for Cefn Druids would be an understatement, and their squad from last season has been completely overhauled – only seven senior players have stayed at the club.
In addition to a playing squad overhaul, there’s been a change of manager with Niall McGuinness taking the reins.
Druids have added plenty of players with experience of relegation battles in the Cymru Premier to their squad, although they have also lost a number of quality players. Left-back Naim Arsan may be the biggest loss for the Druids, after he joined Newtown, whilst the departures of Iwan Cartwright, Sam Phillips and Alex Darlington will also be heavily felt.
Defensive midfielder Yalany Baio is the most eye-catching name from Druids’ arrivals. Baio has spent three periods with Bangor City, with additional Cymru Premier experience from his time at Llandudno. Baio is yet to make his Druids debut. Winger Emmanuel Agyemang is also an ex-Bangor player, who returns to Wales after a spell in Serie D.
Tony Davies and Andy Brown are both familiar with Niall McGuinness. Both players were a part of McGuinness’ Flint squad that won promotion from the Cymru North in 2019/20.
Aaron Pomeiye and Pavel Vieira have played together previously with Aberystwyth, whilst striker George Harry also had a spell with the Seasiders.
Many of Druids’ arrivals have been unattached for a considerable amount of time, so they will need to regain their match practice quickly to give McGuinness’ men the best chance of survival.
It will also be interesting to see what Ben Wynne, Derrick Amankwah and Dominic Hesketh can bring after joining from Steven Gerrard’s Academy.
Connah’s Quay Nomads
| Arrivals | Departures |
| Jordan Davies – Striker – King’s Lynn | Danny Davies – Right-Back – The New Saints |
| Jamie Mullan – Winger – The New Saints | Callum Roberts – Left-Back – Newtown |
| Tom Bibby – Midfielder – IW Cardinals | Douglas Tharme – Centre-Back – Southport |
| Ryan Harrington – Right-Back – The New Saints | Max Moore – Winger – Llandudno |
| Harrison Webster – Left-Back | Sam Rickett – Midfielder – Ruthin |
| Byron Harrison – Striker | Michael Wilde – Striker – Flint Town |
| Paolo Mendes – Midfielder – Caernarfon Town | Danny Harrison – Midfielder – Flint Town |
| Garrett Kelly – Midfielder – Almyros Gaziou | Johnny Hunt – Left-Back |
| Neil Danns – Midfielder – Macclesfield | |
| Rio Glean – Winger |
The biggest question mark hanging over Andy Morrison’s team this season is how they will cope without Michael Wilde. Byron Harrison has been brought in to fulfil the role, although he has big shoes to fill.
The loss of Danny Davies should also not be understated. The wing-back produced nine assists last season, and replacing that creativity will be another big task for Andy Morrison. Harrison Webster has been brought in by Andy Morrison, and could be expected to fill Davies’ role later on in the season.
Nomads have also continued their tradition of signing former TNS players who have a point to prove, with the arrivals of Jamie Mullan and Ryan Harrington. If they can have a similar impact to Aeron Edwards and Michael Wilde, expect another successful campaign for the Nomads.
Attacker Jordan Davies and midfielder Tom Bibby have both rejoined the club, having started their careers at the Nomads academy. Davies has been a regular starter for Nomads so far, although Bibby has been restricted primarily to substitute appearances.
Nomads also added midfielders Paolo Mendes and Garett Kelly to their squad on deadline day. Mendes is no stranger to the league, after impressive spells with Aberystwyth and Caernarfon.
Flint Town
| Arrivals | Departures |
| Telor Williams – Left-Back – Caernarfon | Robert Hughes – Midfielder – Caernarfon |
| Mike Parker – Midfielder – Caernarfon | Richie Foulkes – Midfielder Vauxhall Motors |
| Jack Kenny – Striker – Caernarfon | Dominic Elsey-McHugh – Midfielder – Prestatyn Town |
| Jon Rushton – Goalkeeper – Bala | Mason Blackwell-Jones – Midfielder – Prestatyn Town |
| Jake Phillips – Right-Back – Newtown | Kai Wallis – Midfielder – Prestatyn Town |
| Michael Wilde – Striker – Connah’s Quay | Callum Roberts – Midfielder – Prestatyn Town |
| Danny Harrison – Midfielder – Connah’s Quay | Josh Amis – Striker – Warrington |
| Eddie Clarke – Left-Back – Warrington | |
| Jordan Buckley – Striker – Warrington | |
| Evan Gumbs – Centre-Back – Warrington | |
| Mitch Duggan – Midfielder – Warrington | |
| Harry Lockley – Right-Back – Conwy | |
| Ben Lockley – Left-Back – Conwy | |
| Tom Kemp – Right-Back – Prestatyn Sports | |
| Elijah Beattie – Goalkeeper – St. Asaph (Loan) |
Whilst the number of departures from Flint may seem alarming, the majority of these were fringe players who made very few appearances last season. However, the quintet who joined from Warrington in January have now returned to England, including Josh Amis, who was one of the star players in the bottom six last season.
The arrival of Michael Wilde should however be more than enough to replace Amis. With over 200 goals in the Cymru Premier, Wilde is an incredible coup for Neil Gibson’s side. The 38-year-old has hit the ground running for Flint, and is currently the top scorer in the league.
Nearly 20 years on from his professional debut, Danny Harrison – a team-mate of Wilde at Connah’s Quay – has also joined Flint.
Neil Gibson has also brought in a trio of players from Caernarfon – Telor Williams, Mike Parker and Jack Kenny. The latter two have over 250 Cymru Premier appearances between them, whilst Williams will be eager to show his talents after losing his spot in the Caernarfon squad to Dion Donohue.
Additionally right-back Jake Phillips has joined from Newtown, whilst goalkeeper Jon Rushton has made his loan spell from Bala permanent.
Haverfordwest County
| Arrivals | Departures |
| Henry Jones – Midfielder – Bala | Sean Pemberton – Centre-Back – Retired |
| Dylan Rees – Right-Back – Cardiff Metropolitan | Cameron Keetch – Left-Back – Merthyr Town |
| Kyle Patten – Centre-Back – Barry | Trystan Jones – Centre-Back – Carmarthen Town |
| Lee Idzi – Goalkeeper – Barry | Marcus Griffiths – Striker – Carmarthen Town |
| Mason Jones-Thomas – Winger – Penybont | Nicky Palmer – Midfielder – Brynawel FC |
| Alhagi Touray Sisay – Striker – Grimsby Town | Daniel Summerfield – Left-Back |
| Danny Williams – Striker – Cardiff City | Scott Tancock – Centre-Back – Carmarthen Town |
| Corey Shephard – Midfielder |
After a poor second half of the 2020/21 season, Haverfordwest will be hoping to make amends this year.
Their main arrival is Henry Jones, who will be hoping to showcase his abilities on a regular basis after struggling for game time at Bala last season. Dylan Rees and Kyle Patten will provide solid defensive options following the retirement of Sean Pemberton.
Mason Jones-Thomas arrives after a tough season with Penybont, where injuries limited him to just one start and six substitute appearances.
Goalkeeper Lee Idzi has rejoined Haverfordwest, after spending four seasons with County between 2007 and 2011.
Striker Jack Serrant-Green was also due to join County, but the move fell through after there were problems with his registration. County brought former Aberystwyth striker Alhagi Touray Sisay in to replace Serrant-Green, whilst Danny Williams has also rejoined after spending last season on loan in Pembrokeshire.
Newtown
| Arrivals | Departures |
| Naim Arsan – Left-Back – Cefn Druids | Jake Phillips – Right-Back – Flint |
| Aaron Williams – Striker – Telford United | Tyrone Ofori – Striker – Stafford Rangers |
| James Rowland – Midfielder – Shrewsbury | Sean McAllister – Midfielder – Retired |
| Callum Roberts – Left-Back – Connah’s Quay | Alex Fletcher – Midfielder – Stafford Rangers |
| David Cotterill – Winger – Barry | Neil Mitchell – Striker – Caersws |
| Jake Walker – Right-Back – Aston Villa | James O’Neill – Centre-Back – Stafford Rangers |
| Brett Taylor – Centre-Back – Kidderminster Harriers | Khamrhan Steventon – Goalkeeper – Taffs Well |
| Max Williams – Goalkeeper – Salford | Jack Kelly – Left-Back |
| Henry Cowans – Midfielder – Telford United | Tom Davies – Centre-Back |
After some impressive deals in the January transfer window, Newtown seem to have had yet another strong window.
Early signs suggest 27-year-old striker Aaron Williams is an impressive signing. Williams is currently the second top scorer in the Cymru Premier, whilst he has also scored seven goals in just 118 minutes of football in the domestic cups.
Midielder Henry Cowans has followed Williams to Newtown from Telford. The son of ex-England international Gordon Cowans will be hoping to put an injury-ravaged 18 months behind him.
Callum Roberts has also rejoined on a permanent deal after spending the second half of the season on loan from Connah’s Quay. Roberts has been filling in at centre-back so far this season, as Naim Arsan, another new arrival, has taken the left-back berth. Arsan joins after spending six years at Cefn Druids.
Right-back Jake Walker has arrived from Aston Villa, having made one senior appearance for the Villans in their 4-1 loss to Liverpool in January.
David Cotterill is another shrewd signing, who needs no introduction. The former international brings plenty of experience to Chris Hughes’ side.
Rounding off Newtown’s signings are James Rowland, who had a short spell on loan with Aberystwyth previously, Kidderminster centre-back Brett Taylor, and Wales U18 goalkeeper Max Williams.
Penybont
| Arrivals | Departures |
| James Waite – Winger – Cardiff City | Matthew Harris – Midfielder – Merthyr Town |
| Ryan Reynolds – Midfielder – Cardiff City | Ismail Yakubu – Centre-Back – Merthyr Town |
| Keane Watts – Winger – Goytre United | Ian Traylor – Striker – Merthyr Town |
| Jack Evans – Midfielder – Newport County | Connor Davies – Right-Back – Merthyr Town |
| Shaquile Wynter-Coles – Striker | Mason Jones-Thomas – Winger – Haverfordwest |
| Ioan Emmanuel – Midfielder – Llantwit Major | |
| Oliver Dalton – Centre-Back – Pontypridd |
Penybont have used their geographical location to their advantage, signing players released from Swansea, Cardiff and Newport.
Wingers James Waite and Keane Watts have made positive impressions since joining from Cardiff and Goytre United respectively. Along with Nathan Wood, Penybont have a dangerous attacking trio which will cause problem for any team in the league.
Joining Waite from Cardiff’s academy is midfielder Ryan Reynolds (no, not that one). Reynolds was in Everton’s academy before moving to Cardiff in 2017. Reynolds also made seven appearances for Wales U19, and captained the side on five occasions.
Penybont have also brought in Jack Evans. The midfielder spent the second half of last season with Newport County, after spending 13 years at Swansea City’s academy.
Striker Josh Graham had also agreed to join Penybont, although he has now made the switch to Goytre AFC instead. Instead, Rhys Griffiths has opted to bring in Shaquile Wynter-Coles. The striker was a part of Swansea’s academy until 2019, and made his debut in the JD Welsh Cup against Undy.
In terms of departures, Penybont have seen a whole host of players join Merthyr Town, after the Martyrs returned after suspending their playing operations for the 2020/21 season. Whilst Jefferies and Borge have been impressive at the start of the season, the departures of Yakubu and Dalton mean Penybont might be lacking in defensive depth.
The New Saints
| Arrivals | Departures |
| Declan McManus – Striker – Dunfermline Athletic | Greg Draper – Striker – Guilsfield |
| Danny Davies – Right-Back – Connah’s Quay Nomads | Jamie Mullan – Winger – Connah’s Quay Nomads |
| Jordan Williams – Winger – Stockport County | Adam Roscrow – Striker – Cardiff Met (Loan) |
| Ash Baker – Right-Back – Newport County | Robbie Williams – Goalkeeper – Gresford Athletic |
| Adam Hughes – Centre-Back – City of Liverpool | |
| David Lyon – Striker – Taff’s Well | |
| Ryan Harrington – Right-Back – Connah’s Quay Nomads | |
| Simon Spender – Right-Back – Airbus UK Broughton | |
| Kwame Boateng – Right-Back |
Anthony Limbrick has wasted no time in putting his own stamp on the TNS squad, releasing veterans Greg Draper, Jamie Mullan and Simon Spender.
Based on their early season form, The New Saints’ business in the window has paid dividends. Striker Declan McManus has scored six goals in six games in Europe, and has added another two to his tally in the league.
Wing-back Danny Davies is a familiar face to fans of the Cymru Premier, after registering nine assists for Connah’s Quay last season. He has had a blistering start to his TNS career, already scoring three goals and creating another four.
Jordan Williams has plenty of competition on the wings, with Adrian Cieslewicz and Louis Robles also vying for a spot in the starting line-up, but the winger has started strongly. His cross to set up Cieslewicz against Flint shows a glimpse of what he can do.
Ash Baker joins to provide perhaps a more defensive alternative to Danny Davies at right-back. The Wales U21 international brings plenty of quality to the Saints’ backline, having mae 12 appearances in the Championship for Sheffield Wednesday.
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