Luton forward in unlikely Vale link
Luton Town forward Andre Gray has inexplicably been linked with a move to Port Vale despite the club having reached its transfer quota for the first-half of the season.
What isn’t subject to speculation is that Vale will not be allowed to add to their squad under Football League rules…
According to the Dunstable Gazette, Vale are interested in the 22 year-old striker simply because Valiants manager Micky Adams was spotted in the crowd during Luton’s game with Salisbury City.
However, whether it was Gray or even a Luton player (there were also eleven Salisbury players on the pitch) that Adams was specifically watching, or whether he was simply there to catch a game with Vale having no midweek fixture, is open to interpretation.
But what isn’t subject to speculation is that Vale will not be allowed to add to their squad under Football League rules.
The “fair play” ruling means that Vale have already reached their 60% limit of the club’s turnover that can be spent on players and that is unlikely to change unless Vale submit new projections in time for the January transfer window.
It is also highly unlikely that Vale would want to add another forward to their books.
The Valiants already have Tom Pope, Lee Hughes, Ben Williamson, Gavin Tomlin and Louis Dodds signed up and there is a more pressing need for cover at the back. Indeed, it is widely understood by Vale fans that if funds had allowed, Adams would like to have added trialist centre-half Mathias Doumbe to his squad but was prevented from doing so by the fair play ruling. If any player is likely to join the Vale it is expected to be Doumbe, perhaps on a short-term deal to prevent the club exceeding the “fair play” limitations.
This story therefore appears to be either an optimistic agent trying to get a move for his player or perhaps Luton themselves trying to move a player on in order to secure transfer funds.