Alassana Jatta exit at Notts County will come down to one thing - it was similar with Macaulay Langstaff | OneFootball

FLW's Notts County fan pundit has been speaking on the future of Magpies striker Alassana Jatta.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Notts County are licking their wounds heading into the summer transfer window after their play-off semi-final defeat to AFC Wimbledon.

After consolidating their place in League Two in 2023/24, the Magpies launched a big promotion push this term - one that ultimately fell just short.

Their sixth-placed finish in the fourth tier marked another campaign in which the club continued on their upward trajectory, after being promoted from the National League in 2022/23.

However, it was evidently not good enough for the board, as manager Stuart Maynard was sacked following his side's play-off exit.

As a result, County now head into a fairly uncertain summer, with plenty of questions still to be answered both in the dugout, and with regard to potential incomings and outgoings.

We asked our Notts County fan pundit, Gareth Parr: 'Do you expect Alassana Jatta to leave this summer after promotion wasn't secured? He was being eyed up by Plymouth, Portsmouth and Bolton in January.'

Parr said: "The Jatta position is an interesting one.

"Obviously, his antics in the play-off semi-final probably has had an impact on his value, as other clubs start to see him as being hotheaded. He definitely has a place in the team.

"Something obviously happened in that January window, whether it was the approaches from the other clubs, the arrival of Mai Traore, or when he went off for international duty with the Gambia - he definitely came back from that time a different player, and has since seemed to struggle for form.

"He does still work incredibly hard and chasing down. It may also have coincided with the fact that Jodi Jones was injured, so he wasn't getting the service that he was getting in the first-half of the season.

"But personally, I think it will all come down to the finances again. The club is looking to develop and build sustainably. They know how much it cost to bring him to the club (reported as €150k euros), if someone comes in and offers a decent amount of money, nobody's beyond a price - as we saw when Macaulay Langstaff left.

"So, if somebody came in with a decent enough offer that the owners believe provides a good return for him, I'm sure they'll take it."

Alassana Jatta will surely be tempted by summer move - Macaulay Langstaff evidence suggests grass may not be greener

After spending just a season-and-a-half in League Two with Notts County, Jatta has already proven himself to be a top-quality striker at fourth tier level.

The 26-year-old bagged 19 goals in 39 League Two appearances this past season (excluding play-off semi-final first leg appearance), and hit five in his first 10 outings as a County player in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.

As such, the Gambian international has provided concrete evidence that he could play at a higher level, and that's what he may well have on his mind this summer.

However, using Parr's example of Macaulay Langstaff, Jatta may well need to be careful if he decides to push for a transfer away from Meadow Lane in the coming weeks.

Like Jatta, Langstaff also showed himself to be a lethal centre-forward at League Two level, scoring 28 times in 46 appearances during the 2023/24 season. That form earned him a move to Championship side Millwall last summer.

However, the 28-year-old didn't enjoy a fruitful debut campaign with the Lions, scoring just once in 34 Championship outings, whilst also failing to score in either of his two League Cup appearances either.

Therefore, Langstaff's Millwall move already looks in serious danger of being a major disappointment, and that should serve as a warning to Jatta that the grass may not necessarily be greener away from Meadow Lane should he take his talents elsewhere this summer.