AFC Wimbledon in pole position to strike on Lincoln, Leyton Orient decisions in 2025 after shrewd recruitment: View | OneFootball

Joe Pigott and Alistair Smith arrived on loan this summer, but a key part in the deal could see the Dons secure their services permanently soon.

AFC Wimbledon used the loan market sparingly this summer, only bringing in four players on temporary deals.

However, these loan spots have been used to bring in first-team quality players, which include Alistair Smith of Lincoln City and Joe Pigott of Leyton Orient.

The loan deals that have brought these players to the club are extremely clever and shrewd, however, with both players joining the Dons on loan in the last year of their respective contracts at their parent clubs.

So even though 24/25 has only just started, the Dons could arguably place themselves into pole position to sign the pair, and could bolster those chances with certain achievements this season.

AFC Wimbledon's shrewd moves for Joe Pigott and Alistair Smith

As stated, the pair joined Wimbledon on loan, knowingly in the final years of their contracts at Lincoln and Orient, having endured tough spells both with their parent club, and out on loan.

Pigott had joined Orient only last summer, signing a two-year deal, following disappointing spells at Ipswich Town and Portsmouth.

Smith, like Pigott, only joined Lincoln last summer, on the exact same length deal, following good spells at Sutton United and Altrincham. However, he was only given six months at his parent club before being axed and sent out on loan, signing up with current Wimbledon teammates Owen Goodman and Riley Harbottle at Colchester United.

So, with both men clearly out of favour, the Dons wanted to strike a deal that would benefit both clubs in the short term, but give Wimbledon a great chance of a bargain in just under a year's time.

Therefore, the Dons took the option of a loan deal in both instances, instead of paying what many would imagine being a cheap fee for a player one year away from leaving on a free. In turn, this is helping the parent club by relieving them of the wages, which Wimbledon are presumably covering a percentage of, and not leaving them without any sort of income from an outgoing deal.

It is in the future though where the Dons have been brilliantly clever, with both players most likely not renewing fresh terms with their parent clubs, due to them being either out of favour or off form, the club from SW19 have an excellent chance of submitting pre-contract offers and swiping away the pair for a very similar amount to what they have paid this year for the loans.

This will be helped if the duo stay in good form, and impress, potentially becoming part of a promotion-winning team, something that Johnnie Jackson would like to see his Wimbledon side compete for.

What Pigott and Smith need to do to secure permanent moves

First and foremost, if both are going to want to extend their stays in the Yellow and Blue, they're going to need to do as much as they can to help Wimbledon compete for either automatic promotion, or the play-offs, and by the early season evidence, that is looking possible.

Through individual brilliance as well as a great collective effort, the Dons have completed their best start to a season for a long time, winning six matches and only losing once, away to Bromley, which overall, has them sat sixth at the time of writing.

Personally, Pigott has had the much better start, with the returning striker already netting once in the league, twice in all competitions, as well as providing excellent link-up play with those around him, operating as a League Two version of Harry Kane.

However, that does not take away from how impressive Smith has been throughout his minutes so far for the Dons.

In his four league games so far, the midfielder has formed a brilliant partnership with club captain Jake Reeves, and has shown just how broad and impressive his skillset in the middle of the park is.

Speaking to South London Press about playing with Smith, Reeves said, "Alistair has settled in really well – there is plenty more to come from him.

"I like playing with him because he can do all parts of the game. If I feel there is an opportunity to break into the box, I do not have to tell him to sit for me – he will naturally see that because of the player he is.

"The balance is working well."

It does seem then that the easy answer to the question above is to just remain the same, keep the status quo and not try and experiment with either player when it comes to how they play in the team. That does not mean though that certain parts of their game cannot be relied upon more.

As many fans have already highlighted across social media, Pigott seems more adept with the ball at his feet than he ever was before, so with his lack of pace to burn, and the likes of Josh Kelly and Matty Stevens, the faster runners up-front for the Dons, he could drop into an attacking midfield role and provide the perfect balance between midfield and attack. This would certainly be an attraction to keep him on beyond the end of this campaign, particularly if he completes his role as a focal point in attack as a striker as well as this alternate role.

Whereas Smith could look to utilise his silky footwork and ability to find a brilliant pass into the attacking areas of the pitch to help the Dons out on the wings, and not rely too much on overlapping centre-backs that leave the defence more open than it sometimes needs to be. While he does specialise in crashing into the box and attempting to score, as is typical of a box-to-box midfielder, his finesse could help provide an extra edge at times, and one that could be crucial in keeping the Dons challenging at the right end of the table.