Before January 31’s 11 p.m. transfer deadline, Darrell Clarke stated that Port Vale wouldn’t rule out a deal, but only if the proper opportunity presented itself.
Vale has only signed Aaron Donnelly on loan from Nottingham Forest for the remainder of the season, making this transfer window much quieter than in prior years. The left-sided defender, who is 19 years old, has been brought in to take Connor Hall’s spot after he left for Colchester United for an undisclosed price to be nearer to his family in Cambridgeshire.
Midfielders Harry Charsley and Brad Walker both transferred to League Two teams, Tranmere and Newport County, respectively, so they could play more frequently. There is perhaps less of a rush to find replacements for Walker and Charsley than there was for Vale to lose first team regular Hall, who they only allowed doing so due to his personal circumstances. Both weren’t regulars in the first team this season, and Clarke had hinted in the weeks leading up to the window that he would field a slightly smaller team for the remainder of the season.
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Following Saturday’s scoreless draw against Cheltenham, Clarke was asked about the likelihood of adding reinforcements before the deadline of 11pm. He stated: “We have put in a lot of effort throughout, not just since the window opened. A lot of work has been done before the window opened, but I will say that I am pleased with the group’s improvement. There is a lot of quality in the group that isn’t now in the squad.”
“Like I’ve always maintained, if we want players to join the football team, they must be superior to what we now have. We are not going to stockpile, and it is nice to have Planty (James Plant) and Tommy McDermott, two of our Academy players, on the bench today. Our supporters want to see us developing our own potential in addition to the huge signings. That is evidence of how well those two have performed this year.”
“We’ll continue to have faith in the team and wait and see what the window brings. We’ll always be looking to do business if the right player is available at the right price.”
Although the manager stated after the Cheltenham game that Vale would soon be better in that sector because James Wilson and Ellis Harrison are close to returning from injury, a striker is likely to be high on the manager’s list of desired players. Even if the ideal candidate materialised before 11 p.m., the transfer market would have been the least active since Clarke took over in February 2021, when the team was 18th in League Two.
He rebuilt the team along with director of football David Flitcroft for the campaign that resulted in promotion last season. However, Clarke’s comments in his news conference on Friday last week about the necessity of the club being viable and the need for spending on infrastructure to take precedence over the first team very well confirmed the increasing feeling that this window would be quieter.
“The way I see it, I am not a selfish manager. Managers are evaluated on results,” he continued. “If improving the first team pitch required spending money that had to come from the playing budget, then it was the best course of action for the football team. If the practice facility needs to be improved, as I said, that must be the method since that is how it should be constructed.”
“But everyone wants to see the flavour, isn’t it? They want to see the marquee players make their debuts on the field, and they want to see the club continue to grow in that direction even if there is still plenty to be done.”
“We don’t let our focus slip there. The recruitment department is working very hard to bring in the right players for the club at the appropriate price. As a football club, we must also recognise that there are numerous other sectors that require funding.”
“In the upper Robbie Williams suite and the training area, you can immediately see the money that has been invested in the football club. It needs to be well-balanced. No offence intended, but in my opinion, in this league, we will never be able to financially compete with the top 10 teams in League One.”
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