Dennis Politic is likely to be a wanted man – could a Vale move be in the frame?
The Valiants are flying high in League Two, currently sitting fourth in the table with just one point behind Leyton Orient in second.
Manager Darrell Clarke has found a system that suits his players strengths well, with their 3-5-2 currently making them look like genuine promotion contenders this season.
All of this unquestionable talent is making Port Vale genuine contenders to be promoted into League One this season, so if you fancy backing the Valiants to victory, just click here.
Could Politic be the spark Vale need?
One man who is yet to make an impact but is looking to break into the Port Vale team is youngster Dennis Politic who is on a season long loan from Bolton Wanderers.
The 21-year-old born in Brasov, Romania moved to Manchester United in 2012 at the age of just twelve, after spending three seasons with the United academy Politic moved to Bolton at 15. After a couple of seasons with the Bolton academy Politic went onto score hat-tricks in consecutive games for the under-19s in September and October 2017 which led to him signing his first professional contract in summer 2018. Politic has been described as a technically gifted midfielder by former manager Phil Parkinson who is now at none league giants Wrexham. Parkinson said Politic is a ‘’creative maverick’’ but after an unsuccessful loan move to Salford in 2018-19 where he made just nine appearances it’s crunch time for the young Romanian.
His pedigree is not in doubt, he represented Romania at u17 level during the UEFA European Championship qualifiers back in 2016 and made 24 appearances for Bolton during the 2019-20 season. During that season Politic signed a contract extension keeping him at Bolton until summer 2022. Things were looking good for Politic but following a slip on the pitch he damaged his anterior cruciate ligament and was ruled out of the 2020-21 season. Politic returned to training in April 2021 but was not selected by manager Ian Evatt who stated it was too risky and he would wait for the 2021-22 season to include the youngster.
Promotion is the ultimate goal
Evatt has since sent Politic out on loan to Port Vale, a move which was intended to get minutes under his belt during the season and return to Bolton in the summer 2022 after agreeing a new deal, Politic was offered a new contract from Bolton but did not take up the offer, meaning he will be a free agent at the end of this season. Game time will prove vital for Politic; he needs to find full fitness and consistency in his game. Politic certainly impressed in his first senior match for the Valiants, when he netted in a dramatic 3-2 win over Leyton Orient.
Darrell Clarke the Port Vale manager has been carefully managing Politic during the early stages of this campaign following his recent return to action from a lay off. Will the late strike finally see Politic break into the first team and potentially even earn him a move to Port Vale full time?
One thing for certain is Politic needs minutes to prove he is worthy of a full-time contract at the League two club, the loan move gives him a chance to show he can physically step up to play men’s football at this level, now it’s all about getting on the pitch and proving it. If everything clicks into place Politic could find himself open to offers over the coming months from Port Vale and others, he’s clearly a talented player and highly thought of as the contract offer from Bolton shows.