'Precision is the key' - How Blackpool FC should be approaching important summer window

Opinion: Blackpool need to have a clear idea of who they are this summer in order to provide Ian Evatt with the tools he needs to succeed.

The transfer window opens this week (June 15), and the Seasiders face an important few months.

At the time, it felt as if last summer was the one. The club gave it a real go in the market, and signed players with experience in both League One and above.

Big contracts were handed out, and a £1million fee was spent - the intention was certainly there; just not the execution.

There’s of course mitigation, and you can go through a number of the notable signings and see their various spells on the sidelines throughout the campaign.

In the midst of last season’s relegation battle, last summer had certainly started to feel like a failure, but there’s still a good chance that investment will come good this time around, with a bit of luck perhaps needed.

From that perspective, the business of 12 months ago provided Blackpool with a pretty good spine on paper.

Michael Ihiekwe deserves a clean slate having played most of last year with a toe injury, while we also saw snippets of how crucial Fraser Horsfall can be in defence.

In midfield, Jordan Brown finished the campaign strongly, while George Honeyman has a much higher ceiling to hit. There’s also February arrival Leighton Clarkson who’ll bring quality in the centre of the park.

Finally, up front, both Niall Ennis and Dale Taylor struggled through fitness and injury, but have the potential to be a deadly strike partnership at this level.

Beyond last year’s signings, all three of those areas have other strong options, with just a bit of depth needed to bring improvement.

What probably let the Seasiders down last season was a lack of precision when it came to recruiting for the way they wanted to play.

Blame can be directed at former head coach Steve Bruce for some of the problems, but in his defence, he did go into the campaign wanting to play with wingers, with no wingers available to him.

Scott Banks was probably the standout of the reinforcements that came, with Josh Bowler not fully at the races upon his arrival, Emil Hansson not up to the standard at all, and Malcolm Ebiowei lasting a matter of weeks.

Ian Evatt had the same issue. He wanted to play a wing-back system at times, but didn’t have the tools to truly pull it off.

Hayden Coulson is a natural on the left, but was struck down by various injuries, while Danny Imray was a sensation down the right, but was so good Crystal Palace recalled him to send him back out to the Championship.

Loanee Reuell Walters helped to fill a gap in the second half of the season, while CJ Hamilton enjoyed a strong final couple of months.

In the case of the latter, his strengths are clear, and he’s a great option, but he’s not a natural wing-back you can call upon week in, week out.

Out wide is where Blackpool need to be precise on this occasion, in order to ensure they’ve got the right profile to fit the identity - if that’s how Evatt does want to play.

In the back three, a natural left footer is probably required to replace James Husband, while you could do with another midfielder who fits into the system too.

This summer doesn’t require a big spend like the last, it just requires sensible, well thought out signings.

We’ve seen the best and the worst of the Seasiders in the past year, so all they need is the players to bring out the former rather than ripping up everything they’ve currently got.