It was only around a year ago that Port Vale manager Darren Moore guided Sheffield Wednesday to playoff success, seeing the Owls make a return to the Championship after two seasons away. He’s now aiming to add another promotion to his CV at Vale Park, and his pulling power continues to prove crucial in the transfer market.
Moore, 50, has a stellar reputation in the game. He’s renowned for being a warm and genuine person, and while this doesn’t automatically translate into being an excellent football manager, it does mean that players want to play for him. And, as proven by signings already this summer and from his time at Wednesday, some are willing to take a step down a level.
There’s no doubt that Vale has promotion aspirations for 2024/25 after a dismal League One campaign saw them relegated last season. They will automatically, you’d imagine, start as favourites, where football match betting odds are concerned, in most instances in League Two. This, in part, will be because Vale were a League One outfit last season but also because of the level of player Moore has been able to attract.
A prime example of Moore’s pulling power has been the arrival of George Byers on a free transfer after the combative midfielder left the Owls. Moore signed Byers for Wednesday from Swansea, and he was integral in returning the club to the second tier. And, while the twenty-eight-year-old spent time on loan at League One Blackpool for the second portion of 2023/24, it’s believed he had multiple offers to stay at League One level. Instead, he signed up for League 2 Vale to re-establish the relationship with Moore. If Moore wasn’t the manager, Byers would not be in the fourth tier of English football.
Moore has also taken two players from Fleetwood Town, who were relegated alongside the Valiants. Another player Moore signed for Wednesday, Ben Heneghan, has switched from a promotion battle with the Cod Army to one at Vale, and the same applies to well-travelled striker Jayden Stockley. The Moore appeal is strong, and it’s already proving its worth this summer. And it’s unlikely Valiants won’t see more signings of this nature before the transfer window slams shut and all focus is on the pitch.
Also, because of Moore’s standing in English football, he has good relationships with many clubs further up the pyramid. During his time at Wednesday, he was able to bring in players on loan from Premier League outfits such as Arsenal, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves, and this is likely to be another strand in the recruitment drive at Vale before the summer is out.
Then, it will be over to Moore and co to deliver on the pitch and guide Vale back to League One at the first time of asking. While players will join the revolution because of Moore, they also don’t come cheap. And there must be a return on the investment made into a squad that should be at the very top end of the division.
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