Carlisle United and Mike Williamson may cut their losses with January player sale | OneFootball

The experienced midfielder has been reduced to a very limited role.

As the January window approaches for Carlisle United, more and more scrutiny is being put on the work done in the previous one.

The November 2023 takeover of the club by the Florida-based Piatak family gave hope to a Blues side that was punching way above its financial level that it could survive in League One.

They were prepared to put their money where their mouth was and help to reconstruct a Paul Simpson team that was moribund up until then. The monetary commitments were made, but the results did not follow.

Despite breaking the club's transfer record by signing striker Luke Armstrong from Harrogate Town, on top of other acquisitions like Harry Lewis, Josh Vela and Harrison Neal, it wasn't enough to save Carlisle, who bowed out of the third division with a whimper, finishing rock bottom of the league, after just one season at the level.

The expectation is that funds will be made available for the second January in a row to further help Mike Williamson lift the Blues out of the League Two relegation zone, but there could be a potential exit for one of those aforementioned winter investments of a year ago.

Josh Vela could find his way out of Carlisle United

Of the deals that the Blues made in the previous winter window, the one that saw Vela join on an 18-month-long deal from Fleetwood Town was one of the more encouraging ones.

He scored a couple of goals in the seven league matches he played before picking up a season-ending knee injury in March. Given his CV, supporters expected him to potentially play a big part in what was hoped would be a promotion-pushing Carlisle side. That's not exactly how things have panned out, though.

The signs have been better in recent weeks, with United picking up two wins and a draw in their last three games in all competitions, but the fact remains that Carlisle are still in League Two's relegation zone.

Vela's role in the side has dwindled away in the same way as the hopes for the club's campaign. Before Simpson was sacked, the 30-year-old had played all but 30 minutes of Carlisle's first four games back in the fourth division.

Since Williamson came in, his minutes have been slowly reduced, and they may have gone down much quicker were it not for suspensions and injuries at his position.

He hasn't looked like the same threatening player that he was last season, and he now appears to be at the bottom of the midfield pecking order when everyone is fit and healthy.

When the bells chime to signal the new year, Vela will have six months left on his Carlisle deal. The club have an option to extend his stay by a further 12 months, but, given his usage under Williamson, that feels unlikely.

All the factors could combine to create a potential exit opportunity for Vela in the winter window.

Carlisle's ideal Josh Vela departure scenario

Given the state of his contract, the best situation for the Blues, if they would like to move the 30-year-old on, is to sell him. Now, for that to happen, he'd also need to be happy to leave, and they'd need to find a willing buyer, so it's not as simple as just getting rid of him.

If he is open to leaving, the two parties could come to some sort of compromise where part, or all, of his current deal gets paid off, and he becomes a free agent.

There are ways to facilitate a departure if that's what both parties want, but Carlisle would surely love to get some financial compensation for letting him go, rather than allowing him to leave for free in the summer.