Why I believe Peterborough United were right to sell Kyrell Lisbie.....there's always a 'but' though

It seems like a no-brainer to me, it the latest reports from a very reliable source are true. Of course he’s just 22 and he’s just enjoyed a terrific first season (well three quarters of a season anyway) at League One level.

It’s not unreasonable to expect he’ll improve, but it also wouldn’t have been a great surprise to see him have less of an impact now that teams have seen him in action, and seen how limited he actually appeared during the Posh team’s dismal end to last season.

There was plenty of evidence he’d been worked out. Just show the left winger the outside, where he seemed reluctant to travel, and, if he did go, the left foot would often let him down. Being fatigued at the end of a gruelling season can’t have helped him.

This is not a hit piece on Lisbie who was one of the stars of last term alongside Alex Bass, Archie Collins and Harry Leonard. His sheer speed on the breakaway and the happy knack of popping up in the right place to deliver simple finishes were highlights of the season and crucial in getting Posh out of trouble and then in them staying there. Two hat-tricks proved that he was unstoppable when his confidence was up.

But I’d wager we would miss Bass, Collins and Leonard more than we will miss a player who scored 14 goals and was credited with multiple assists. It’s just my gut feeling. He’s no Ephron Mason-Clark, but then few are. If his head had been turned by the PT story regarding Millwall’s interest earlier this month, the deal is definitely a good one.

Kudos to the Posh recruitment team for finding a player at Braintree and making the club a tenfold profit in 12 months. Lisbie is another reason, like Mason-Clark and George Boyd before him, for up and coming wingers in non-league football to desire a move to London Road. I wish him well and hope he proves me wrong, but the Championship is a whole new ball game and £3 million is a risk from Millwall’s point of view, although sources in South London are saying the fee is not that high.

But admiring the Posh profit is one thing. If a large chunk of it isn’t splashed on at least four new signings (centre-back, midfielder, winger, striker) then Lisbie’s departure becomes a disappointing sale, one that does nothing to ease concerns Posh are in for a third frustrating League One campaign in a row.

Posh might even need to sign two wingers unless Bolu Shofowoke develops quickly or Declan Frith has turned into Kwame Poku (the fit version) while recovering from a broken foot.

The need to service what remains a large debt is a genuine one, but the need to build a squad that gives manager Luke Williams a chance, and the supporters some hope of success, should also be recognised.

Posh summer transfer plans were hit by Matt Garbett’s untimely injury while on international duty, but the millions the club thought they’d missed out on have now arrived. The three weeks to the start of the League One season will tell us virtually everything about the club’s ambition.