Former Port Vale player says club wanted him to stay
Former Port Vale central defender Connell Rawlinson says the club made an offer to take him off the transfer list before his move to Notts County.
Rawlinson was signed by former manager Neil Aspin and was a regular for the first-half of last season.
A week before I signed at Notts, he pulled me in and told me they wanted to take me off the transfer list and wanted me to stay…
However, the defender was transfer-listed along with Ben Whitfield by manager John Askey when Vale released their retained list. Despite that blow, Rawlinson was praised by Askey for his attitude during the pre-season campaign. Back in July the Vale manager commented “He has responded well and that is what I wanted.”
The central defender opted to leave the club in August and join National League side Notts County. Rawlinson told the Nottingham Post newspaper: “At the end of the season, the manager was looking to free a bit of money up in his budget. I was transfer-listed, but I went back and had a really good pre-season.
“A week before I signed at Notts, he pulled me in and told me they wanted to take me off the transfer list and wanted me to stay. I was made up with that at the time, because I had put in a lot of effort to prove that I wanted to be there.
“But once Notts came along it gave me a decision to make as to whether I wanted to stay at Vale or come to Notts. I just felt that I was wanted and needed and I had no doubt in my mind about what I wanted to do.”