5 potential Stockport County targets after Mark Stott's transfer reveal | OneFootball

Stockport County will be looking to strengthen their squad for League One with youth in mind following owner Mark Stott's interview.

Stockport will be having one of the bigger squad refreshes of the third division clubs, shifting their focus to youth and long-term stability under Sporting Director, Simon Wilson. In a recent interview between club commentator John Keighran and owner Mark Stott, the latter outlined how the club was ahead of the curve of their seven-year plan to get to the Championship and how they need to start investing in players that will bring future value.

Stott claimed in the interview that the club is currently chasing a permanent deal for winger Louie Barry, saying: "I'd like to buy Louie... At his age, with his talent, that's the type of player that can unlock real value."

Keeping in mind Stott's drive to invest in young prospects going forward, here are five players Stockport should consider off the back of the club's pivoted position in the 2024 summer transfer market.

Elliot Watt

24-year-old Scotsman Elliot Watt would be a five-star pickup for Dave Challinor this summer. He's been a bright spark in an otherwise appalling Salford City side in League Two this season. He originally came through the ranks at Wolverhampton Wanderers, making a senior appearance for the club in the 2018/19 season. Since then, spells at Carlisle United and Bradford City have made him a comfortable deep-midfield player at this level.

He's got bags of potential at just 24 and would be a stellar replacement for the recently released and criminally underrated Ryan Croasdale, who won two league titles with the club. He played 39 games for Salford this year, with a decent return of one goal and eight assists. What really put his name up in lights was the campaign before this one, however, as he managed 16 assists in 52 games - staggering numbers.

Nathan Young-Coombes

The fourth pick for who Stockport should target is a bit of a wildcard. Nathan Young-Coombes is a Brentford starlet with sprinklings of experience in League Two with AFC Wimbledon. He did manage three goals and three assists in his time at Plough Lane, so it could be a good loan option for The Hatters in League One.

Young-Coombes has some surprising statistics about his short stay at Wimbledon, with those three goals coming from just six shots he had from the left-wing. He's certainly in the category of being relatively unknown, but like Stott said in his recent sit-down interview, the club needs to start acquiring talent with potential long-term value.

This could also form the start of another prosperous relationship between the Greater Manchester side and Premier League clubs, like we've seen with Aston Villa.

Charlie Savage

Son of Robbie Savage, this 21-year-old has a lot to prove in club football. Not only is he a former Manchester United Academy prospect, but a Welsh-capped midfielder. Here at Football League World, we even expected Savage to make a move to Edgeley Park in the January transfer window, so there is a chance his name is still being banded around as a target for Sporting Director Simon Wilson.

He's made a good impression in his time in League One so far, having made 45 appearances for the struggling Reading. Five goals and two assists to the midfielder's name isn't earth-shattering, but it is still a positive sign for a still young and inexperienced talent.

Dan Kemp

Now this might be a more ambitious signing for Stockport County. Attacking midfielder Dan Kemp has blown League Two away this campaign with some spellbinding performances that could see him move at least a division or two up. The 25-year-old returned from a loan move at Swindon Town midway into the season, coming back a more well-rounded player than when he left.

He played a seriously impressive 46 matches this season, starting 39 of them. In his run in Swindon's squad, he netted 16 times and collected eight assists. Whilst he wasn't quite able to recapture his red-hot form in Milton Keynes, he still accumulated three goals and three assists.

Dave Challinor should really be looking at Kemp, who is clearly ready to make that step-up to League One. This deal makes even more sense given the recent humiliation MK Dons suffered in the playoffs against Crawley Town, trapping them in the fourth division for a second year.

Louie Barry

Every Stockport County fan knew this was coming. Louie Barry to Edgeley Park would represent a gigantic step into serious financial game-playing for Mark Stott. As he's said many times, he's a 'businessman not a football expert', meaning he sees massive potential in selling the 20-year-old English forward, in the future.

His agility and movement with the ball is outrageous at League Two level, and he is surely desperate to prove himself again in either League One or the Championship. With every passing day, it seems like the club is edging closer to finalising a move for Barry, who is surely enjoying the attention of several EFL clubs, not just the fourth division champions.