Luke Chadwick sees reasons for Cambridge United to be optimistic ahead of busy summer for head coach Neil Harris

Luke Chadwick shares Mark Bonner’s optimism surrounding Cambridge United’s chances during the 2025/26 campaign.

Last week director of football Bonner outlined why – despite the previous season’s relegation – next term could be a positive one for the club in League Two under Neil Harris’ management.

And former U’s player Chadwick is in agreement with that particular assessment.

The boyhood Cambridge supporter, who was part of the squad that earned promotion at Wembley via the National League play-offs in 2013/14, said: “Obviously you get to a point at any football club where the board deems it the correct decision to make changes and with Mark coming back in, what he'd done before by getting the team promoted was incredible really in that lockdown season.

“We all needed a bit of a pick-me-up, and that was certainly what he and that team gave us.

“And then when Neil came in the first time he done a good job, but then the club that he’s a living legend at come calling. There’s only one decision he’s going to make, but I think probably in his heart, he’s got unfinished business with the club, so I think there is certainly room for optimism and a fresh start for everyone.

“You did feel like it (relegation) was going to happen. There was three seasons where you’re scrapping at the bottom, you’re getting out of it on the last day of the season, then you go down. Obviously nobody wants to go down, but when clubs get relegated, it’s a reset, isn’t it?

“Going back down into League Two, what we’ve not seen for the last three seasons is loads of wins, is it?

“When you’re at the bottom of the league, you’re not winning many games, so I think going back into that lower level can give everyone a bit of a lift in terms of results when the season starts.

“If you’re going to be seen as a team that’s going to be competing in the top six or seven, you need plenty of wins so I think there’s always room for optimism.”

Chadwick is of the belief that Harris’ ‘biggest challenge’ will be successfully managing a high turnover in players.

A double-figure tally of squad members will leave the club once their contracts expire next month, and it is anticipated that a similar number will be arriving over the course of the summer.

And Chadwick believes that the speed in which those new faces are able to integrate will determine how successful a season it can be.

He added: “The biggest challenge is there’s going to be a huge turnaround in playing staff and how quickly they can integrate, how well they can recruit and how quickly Neil can get them playing the way that he wants them to play.

“But it can 100 per cent be a successful season. It’s quite an even league, League Two, isn’t it?

“It's not as big as a League One where you’ve got some massive clubs like Birmingham and Wrexham.

“Last season some of those budgets were through the roof and the likes of Cambridge were at the bottom of the league.

“League Two’s a lot more even and I think we will have a budget that’s competitive within that league.

“But again, one hurdle for them to be a top six or top seven team and be in and around the play-offs is how quickly they can get the new players in for pre-season and how quickly they can integrate them into a system and make them a squad that’s going to win football games.”

Not Just A Pretty Face: The Luke Chadwick story is available to buy now.