2 players that could save or make Grimsby Town six-figures | OneFootball

Grimsby Town youngsters Evan Khouri and Cameron Gardner show potential that could save or make the club a valuable sum.

Highlights

While David Artell and Grimsby Town are busy trying to add reinforcements to their squad ahead of what they hope will be an improved 2024/25 League Two season, the Mariners already have two talented young players on their books that could save or make the club a substantial sum of money in the long run.

In a previous article, we mentioned how midfielder Evan Khouri and forward Cameron Gardner could benefit from loan spells in the fifth or sixth-tier at the outset of the upcoming campaign. Equally, however, both possess attributes that could see them force their way into the first-team picture at Blundell Park, and potentially play at higher levels in the future.

While at different ages, Khouri is now 21 and Gardner 18-years-old, both players are one year into their respective three-year deals with Grimsby, and the fact that both were offered those lengthy contracts shows how highly the club values their abilities and likelihood of developing into important senior players in the Mariners set-up in the future.

Having previously been in charge of fellow League Two side Crewe Alexandra, a club that are renowned for providing a pathway for young footballers to make their way in the game, Artell is likely to be willing to give the likes of Khouri and Gardner first-team opportunities should they warrant it, and both players have what it takes to become valuable assets for Grimsby for years to come.

Evan Khouri

Versatile midfielder Khouri is a little further on than Gardner, both in age and first-team experience. The left-footed player is very comfortable in possession, and - while being mostly at home in the centre, is able to fill in multiple positions on the left-side, too.

The former West Ham United youngster made his debut for the Mariners in early September 2020 during an EFL Trophy clash with Morecambe, going on to make his first full league start for the club the following April in a win over Bolton Wanderers.

Khouri made eight appearances in total over the 2020/21 season, but injury curtailed his progress the following campaign. The talented London-born man began to show his promise once more towards the end of the 2022/23 season, with notable cameos off the bench during Grimsby's memorable FA Cup run to the quarter-final stage.

Again, however, this has since been followed up by a stop-start year, and, despite making his Grimsby bow nearly four years ago, Khouri has only made 40 senior appearances for the club to date.

That said, former boss Paul Hurst's belief in the player's abilities has seen him tied down to a deal until June 2026, and that could be a move that benefits David Artell and Grimsby in the future. Khouri is an Artell type of player, comfortable in possession and receiving the ball under pressure, both in defensive and attacking areas.

The youngster had a short stay on loan at National League North club Spennymoor Town towards the end of last season, and he will be hoping to build on that to possibly become an important part of the Mariners side for the year(s) ahead. Should he be successful in this, it could see Grimsby saving or making money in the long-term.

Teenage forward Gardner is at the very beginning of what Mariners fans hope will be a productive career in a black and white shirt. Signing a three-year professional deal on his 18th birthday last September, the attacker made his first league appearance for David Artell's side in the final game of the 2023/24 campaign, a 2-0 defeat at promotion-bound Crawley Town.

Gardner, who also came off the bench in an EFL Trophy fixture at Barnsley earlier in the season before spending a short, but profitable loan spell with local eighth-tier side Grimsby Borough in the spring, is a confident, aggressive presence with an eye for goal.

Despite already being a physically strong, athletic forward, it may be best for Gardner to further learn his trade with a spell in the National League North or South for a time at the start of the upcoming campaign, but longer-term, there are high hopes that Grimsby have themselves a gem in the making; one that could see the club benefit for many years to come, both on the pitch, and, perhaps, financially, too.