2 bargain free transfers Stockport County could consider ft Dwight Gayle | OneFootball

These two deals could round off a successful summer at Edgeley Park

Stockport County have put together a strong summer of successful transfer business, but there are still some bargain options available that could add something to their squad.

The Hatters are embarking on their return to League One after a lengthy spell away, dropping as far down as the National League North before rising back through the divisions.

This summer, under manager Dave Challinor and director of football Simon Wilson, the club have set themselves up with every chance to put together a successful third-tier campaign.

However, there are still some cut-price options they could consider. Here, Football League World look at two...

Nathan Ferguson

Nathan Ferguson has had a torrid time with injuries over the past few years; a statement that will make most County fans recoil with fear given the current, and persistent, injury crisis at Edgeley Park.

It has led to his release from Crystal Palace this year, having struggled to make an impact due to those injury issues.

But that misfortune may present County with an opportunity to land a player that may otherwise be unavailable to them. Ferguson is still only 23 years old and falls neatly into County's new strategy of recruiting young players with strong potential who are in need of a stage to show the world what they can do.

Much of the Hatters' injury worries focus in defensive areas, particularly at full-back. Ferguson has played all along the back four in his career, so if they could get him up to match fitness then he would prove to be ideal cover.

There's little doubting his talent. Former Palace boss Roy Hodgson once said: "We were very excited about him coming to the club — we thought we had a little diamond on our hands."

The former England manager went on to say that he was about to be knocking on the door for starts in Palace's first-team before his most recent injury at the time of Hodgson's quotes.

There's no doubt it would be a risk but with a master negotiator like Wilson in County's ranks, you'd back the club to be able to come up with a package that wouldn't leave them exposed if his poor injury luck continues.

The rewards could be massive: a player with Premier League potential in League One, for free, with years ahead of him to develop.

Dwight Gayle

One thing that could still be improved in this County squad is the level of experience, after selecting a group of incredibly talented but young and relatively inexperienced players.

Gayle was spotted turning out as a trialist for the Hatters in a pre-season friendly. He didn't have much to do, up front on his own against a strong Blackburn Rovers side, but when he was involved in the play he looked sharp.

He also appeared to have quickly found favour with the younger contingent, such as Ethan Pye, who he was spotted talking intently to as the pair came off the pitch at half-time against Rovers.

Currently a free agent, with Wilson not entirely closing the door on the possibility of bringing the forward in this summer in a recent fans' forum, Gayle would be a strong candidate to sprinkle some experience on this side.