Cheltenham Town’s manager, Steve Cotterill, has set a clear challenge for their latest loan signing, Cole Deeming, who joined from West Bromwich Albion this week. The 19-year-old midfielder could make his English Football League debut this Saturday against Grimsby Town at Whaddon Road.
Cotterill, impressed by Deeming’s strong performances during his loan spell at National League side Truro City this season, envisions him primarily as a dynamic box-to-box number 8 in midfield.
“Cole is quite tall, so his stride will be key during his time here,” Cotterill noted. “He’ll need to cover a great deal of ground just like Youngy (Luke Young), who’s usually our top runner. If Cole can match Youngy’s running stats, we definitely have a promising player on our hands.”
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In addition to his box-to-box role, Deeming is versatile and can also operate as a deep-lying midfielder or out wide. He completed his first training session with Cheltenham on Thursday morning.
Cotterill praised Deeming’s attitude and background, saying, “He’s a lovely young lad who’s had an excellent upbringing at West Brom and has settled in well with us. We are excited to have him here.”
He also highlighted the strong relationship between Cheltenham and West Bromwich Albion. “I had a great conversation with West Brom recently. There are some great people there I’ve known for a long time. When I suggested bringing Cole over, they jumped at the chance to send him down the road to us, which was very pleasing.”