Where are they now: Aziz Deen-Conteh
Here is the tale of a player who left Port Vale under a cloud but subsequently became an International player…
His time at Port Vale
It’s often said that for every successful speculative transfer there’s several doesn’t work out. That was the case with Aziz Deen-Conteh at Vale Park. In November 2014, Vale brought in three players hoping that they would turn out to be good aqisitions. Of those three, Enoch Andoh eventually broke into the first-team and was briefly linked with Spurs before a bad injury ruined his Vale career. The same cannot be said of the other two signings Alex Nimely and Aziz Deen-Conteh.
Both had pedigree – Nimely with Manchester City and Aziz-Conteh with Chelsea – but Nimely would make just one appearance while Deen-Conteh would never make the first eleven.
Club captain Carl Dickinson was a consistent pick at left-back so Deen-Conteh was farmed out on loan to Boston United for a spell – but he didn’t do enough to force himself into contention.
He was released in January 2016 and had some harsh words to say about the club commenting “I didn’t really get along with the gaffer” and that manager Rob Page “wasn’t thinking about the players, he wasn’t thinking about the club, he was thinking about himself.”
His time after Port Vale
The defender moved to Moldova where he played for Zaria Balti where his time included an appearance in a cup final win. Deen-Conteh also came to the attention of the Sierra Leone national team making two appearances in 2016. However, he’s unlikely to get another chance after he criticised the Sierra Leone FA for their organisational skills.
He returned to the UK to play non-league football for Dover Athletic and was last seen playing for Dulwich Hamlet.