Highlights
- Artell’s Grimsby Town team face striker and midfield shortages, requiring reinforcements before transfer window closure.
- Experienced free agents Okenabirhie and Gorrin could provide much-needed depth and quality to address team weaknesses.
- Okenabirhie’s goal-scoring record and Gorrin’s disciplined style make them fitting candidates to help Grimsby achieve season goals.
With captain and first choice striker Danny Rose continuing to struggle with injuries, and fringe forward Rekeil Pyke also currently out of the picture, David Artell has only Donovan Wilson and youngster Cameron Gardner available to lead the line for his Grimsby Town side.
It’s far from an ideal situation with the 2024/25 campaign underway, and the former Gibraltar international will be working behind the scenes to rectify this, along with other areas that require immediate attention.
The closure of the summer transfer window is on the horizon. This only adds to the urgency for reinforcements, be it loan cover or a more permanent deal. There’s still a plethora of free agents available, and here we look at two such players who may be on Artell’s radar as he looks to add the final, yet vital, pieces to his Mariners jigsaw.
George McEachran in particular has looked a very classy operator in the Mariners’ engine room during the opening two games.
It’s no secret that, with Rose and midfielder Curtis Thompson absent with knocks, strains, and fitness issues, a powerful, mobile striker is a necessity, as is a physically and technically competent engine room holding player.
While free agents can sign for clubs at any point after the window shuts, they’ll be acutely aware that many EFL sides will look to complete their squads by August 30th, and will therefore be looking to get themselves fixed up as soon as possible. The experienced duo highlighted below would be ideal to fulfill the aforementioned roles, should they be attainable financially.
Fejiri Okenabirhie
28-year-old forward Fejiri Okenabirhie is still without a club following his release from League One outfit Cambridge United earlier this summer.
Having been with Arsenal as a youngster, the London-born attacker joined Stevenage in 2013, before embarking on numerous non-league loan spells with the likes of Farnborough, Cambridge City, and Royston Town.
After impressing for Dagenham & Redbridge between 2016 and 2018, Okenabirhie got his chance in the Football League, firstly with Shrewsbury Town, and then on to Doncaster Rovers and Cambridge over the last five years.
| Fejiri Okenabirhie’s career path to date, as per Transfermarkt | |
|---|---|
| Season(s) | Club |
| 2013–2015 | Stevenage |
| 2014/15 | Farnborough (loan) |
| 2014/15 | Cambridge City (loan) |
| 2014/15 | Royston Town (loan) |
| 2015/16 | Harrow Borough (permanent) |
| 2016–2018 | Dagenham & Redbridge (permanent) |
| 2018–2020 | Shrewsbury Town (permanent) |
| 2020–2022 | Doncaster Rovers (permanent) |
| 2022–2024 (Released) | Cambridge United (permanent) |
Able to also operate in the wide forward roles, another factor that would suit Artell’s favoured 4-3-3 system, Okenbirhie is a big, physically imposing presence with the pace to worry his opponents. Comfortable running the channels and holding the ball up under pressure, the forward possesses all the attributes the Grimsby head coach will be looking for to add competition to the forward berths.
Scoring 19 goals in 69 appearances for Dagenham, before netting 46 in a combined 172 games – many in League One – for Shrewsbury, Doncaster, and Cambridge United respectively, it’s perhaps surprising that the front player is still without a club, but it’s a situation Artell and Grimsby could capitalise on over the coming days and weeks.
Alex Rodríguez Gorrin
Seasoned Spanish defensive midfielder Alex RodrÍguez Gorrin is no stranger to EFL followers, having spent the best part of five years with Oxford United, before a brief spell with relegated Forest Green Rovers at the end of last season.
Now 31 years old, the former Sunderland youngster is a tough-tackling, committed presence usually deployed in front of the defensive line. An experienced figure, unfazed when being pressed and comfortable on the ball in all areas, Gorrin is equally at ease instigating forward movements for his own side as he is at preventing those of his opponents.
| Alex RodrÍguez Gorrin’s career path to date, as per Transfermarkt | |
|---|---|
| Season(s) | Club |
| 2011–2014 | Sunderland |
| 2014–2017 | Wellington Pheonix (New Zealand) (permanent) |
| 2017–2018 | Boavista (Portugal) (permanent) |
| 2017–2018 | Sepsi OSK (Romania) (permanent) |
| 2018/19 | Motherwell (permanent) |
| 2019–2024 | Oxford United (permanent) |
| 2024 – Released | Forest Green Rovers (permanent) |
The Spaniard has also plied his trade in New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, and Scotland with the likes of Wellington Pheonix, Boavista, Sepsi, and Motherwell respectively, and the nous and know-how attained throughout such a well-travelled career would be of great benefit to Artell’s men in the absence of regular midfield leader Thompson.
Whether the duo are in the Grimsby boss’ thinking remains to be seen, as does the level of finances now available to bring in experienced players at this stage of the transfer window. However, should the funds be there, along with the interest of all parties, Okenabirhie and Gorrin would be ideal acquisitions for the Blundell Park club to help them in achieving their 2024/25 season objectives.
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