OPINION: The sale of Elliot Embleton is an admission from Blackpool that they got their approach to recruitment massively wrong in the summer.

The attacking midfielder, who has joined Carlisle United, was a hit during his spell on loan with the Seasiders back in 2021, helping the club to promotion, but he returned as a different player when he made the permanent move from Sunderland back in August.

After a couple of years of struggling with injuries, Embleton needed time to acclimatise and find his feet again, but unfortunately that didn’t come his way.

Instead, he was greeted with instant chaos and an uphill battle - and things were always set to be challenging for him as he searched for match fitness.

He was among a number of players signed to fit into Neil Critchley’s wing-back based system, with the club committing to that approach throughout the summer despite missing out on the play-offs last season.

It made perfect sense at that point to recruit him. He knew the manager, he knew the club, and he had a point to prove to get his career back on track.

Unfortunately, less than two weeks on from signing for the club, the 25-year-old was plunged into a completely new situation.

Critchley was sacked after two underwhelming league games, and a change of direction was issued with the appointment of Steve Bruce.

The new head coach moved away from the wing-back based system, preferring a more traditional 4-4-2.

Bruce has admitted himself, the changes just didn’t seem to suit Embleton. He filled in on the left side a couple of times, but never looked truly comfortable.

It’s neither the fault of the player or the manager, it’s just a sign of how wrong Blackpool got their recruitment ahead of this season.

The club backed Critchley, and got who he wanted. They showed faith in him, but quickly had their minds changed. It still comes back to the simple fact that they should’ve either parted ways with him last May or stuck with the project a little longer.

Embleton isn’t the only player who doesn’t quite fit in due to how things have changed - not that the alterations have been a bad thing because they’ve benefited others.

The ex-Sunderland man has been a victim of circumstance. It’s unfortunate for him that he wasn’t quite right physically yet and that things have moved in a new direction at the club.

His departure is part of a backtrack from the style the club was geared towards, but it’s good for both parties that it has happened so soon in this transfer window.

The player gets a chance to get back on track elsewhere without wasting further, while the Seasiders put themselves in a position to replace him with someone more suited to what they now want to do.