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You’d be hard pressed to find a neutral out there who wasn’t rooting for AFC Wimbledon to win the League Two play-off last month, but now, the Dons are in trouble.
Given the incredible story behind the club in the wake of the original Wimbledon side’s demise and rebirth as MK Dons, plenty of EFL fans loved seeing Johnnie Jackson’s men secure promotion at Wembley.
Now, with AFC Wimbledon gearing up for life back in the third tier, it should be an exciting time to be connected to the club.
However, those preparations for the upcoming League One campaign have not gone too well so far, leaving Jackson with plenty of work to do in the summer transfer window.
AFC Wimbledon’s promotion-winning team is being torn apart already
That promotion-winning campaign was built largely on team spirit, a strong defensive unit, and impressive creative play from wide areas.
We already predicted League One would be a challenge for Wimbledon in 2025/26, but we did back them to at least stay up. Now, we’re not so sure.
Since that glorious final less than a month ago, Wimbledon have lost five of their key men that started the game.
Owen Goodman was one of the best goalkeepers in the EFL last season, but his loan deal came to an end and he is now looking likely to join the Huddersfield Town revolution.
Likewise, midfielder Alistair Smith has returned to Lincoln City after his successful loan spell, leaving a gap in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, forward Marcus Browne has come to the end of his contract, too. He may only have bagged three goals last term, but there’s no denying his physicality and work rate have been a huge asset for the Dons.
Wimbledon are losing two key players to League One rivals, too. James Tilley is joining Wycombe Wanderers on a free transfer at the end of his contract this month, and perhaps more painful, fellow promoted side Bradford City have lured Josh Neufville away on a free, too.
With those two wide men, Wimbledon have just lost eight goals and 11 assists already. That won’t be easy to replace, but Jackson has to try and rebuild his squad lest he face the perils of a quick return to League Two.
What players could AFC Wimbledon sign to fill the gaps?
To help Johnnie Jackson solve these problems, we’ve assembled some recommendations for who he could sign to flesh out his team for next season.
First of all, a fairly simple one is finding a new goalkeeper. We’d point Wimbledon in the direction of Matty Young at Sunderland; he just had a brilliant loan spell at Salford in League Two and looks ready for a step up, and with the Black Cats now in the Premier League, he’s unlikely to get a look in on Wearside.
Out wide, Dilan Markanday has to be an option for Wimbledon (and a few other League One clubs). He was just released by Blackburn Rovers, but performed fairly well for Leyton Orient in their own run to Wembley in 2024/25.
On the other side, Wimbledon could look at Mallik Wilks, who is looking for a new club after being released by Sheffield Wednesday. He’s a bit of a gamble, but he showed he does have the talent to do well at this level during his loan spell with Rotherham last term.
In the middle of the park, another Championship free agent who could be ready to make the drop down to the third tier is Josh McEachran. He’s just been released by Oxford, and while he’s a very different profile to Alistair Smith, his experience and quality would be valuable to Wimbledon all the same.
Finally, let’s be ambitious and think about someone with proven goalscoring ability who could come in and not only replace Marcus Browne but be an upgrade. Nahki Wells is attracting interest in League One, namely from Bradford, but there’s no reason Wimbledon can’t be part of that conversation, too.