Port Vale manager Jon Brady has said the club cannot rely on free transfer additions to improve their goal-shy attack.
Improving the front-line has become a key priority for Brady this summer with his side having scored just 34 goals. He has stressed that the quality available through out of contract players may not be suitable. In an indication of his priorities, Brady has suggested that the club may have to spend transfer fees to add forward players of sufficient quality.
It’s not good enough what’s out there. Not good enough in the free market. Nothing at all out there good enough right now. You have to spend money to get that quality on the top line…
Brady has suggested he wants younger, hungry players who can improve and this may mean a repeat of the policy that brought in Ruari Paton and Lorent Tolaj. Both were signed for significant amounts with a view to developing and then potentially selling on. As a result, Tolaj was subsequently sold for £1.2m. Paton’s move has been less successful but a 50% success rate with a profit on the amount spent on the pair seems reasonable and it appears the club could repeat the exercise.
Brady told the media: “Now, in the free market, it’s not good enough what’s out there. Not good enough in the free market. Nothing at all out there good enough right now. You have to spend money to get that quality on the top line.”
As far as I am concerned the juries still out on Paton. Watched him at Queen of the South where he scored quite a few goals. In the final year of his contract he could be an important goal scorer for Vale if as Brady intends the service to the strikers from midfield and the wings is transformed.
For whatever reason Paton never seemed to fit into Darren Moores style of play (what there was of it) and this seems to be carried over to Brady’s decision to loan him out. Given the poor performances and the lack of goals scored by the attacking players brought in l am fairly sure that Paton would have put away some of the goal scoring chances squandered by these players.
As it is I wouldn’t be surprised if Saint Johnstone put in a offer for him, which will be accepted by the Club and then Vale will spend that money and probably more to bring in a similar player to Paton.
Vale desperately need to get Byers out of the door, his £7k a week wages would pay the wages of 2or3 very good forwards at league two level. People might be surprised, Lincoln have a pay structure that no one earns more than £3 1/2 k a week and have walked the league on this wage structure. Which only goes to highlight how ridiculous our club is being run !