Darrell Clarke reveals why Port Vale did not sign Bolton Wanderers’ Dennis Politic | OneFootball

Port Vale slipped further off the pace of the top seven in League Two on Tuesday evening after losing 1-0 at home to Salford City despite a dominant performance.

Darrell Clarke’s men still have a game in hand on the majority of teams around them in looking to close the three-point gap between themselves and the play-off places.

Dennis Politic has returned to Bolton Wanderers, despite being set for a season-long loan spell at Vale Park, in preparation for a permanent transfer to Serie B side Cremonese, according to The Bolton News.

Clarke explained why Vale could not lure Politic to the club on a full time basis when he spoke to StokeonTrentLive.

He said: “Dennis was outstanding.

“We were in for him but, like I have always said, there is a wage structure at this club that I don’t want to break.

“I have great support at the club and there isn’t going to be a gulf between players’ wages.

“I don’t want that, I don’t think it is the right way to build it.

“We are not moneybags, we try to do things at a sensible level and get competitive.”

A very honest answer from Clarke, and with a very well established attacking contingent in League Two, Vale should definitely have the talent in the final third to at least guarantee a top seven finish in the coming months.

The Verdict

Quiz: Can you name which club Port Vale signed these 28 defenders from?

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Dan Jones

It is a shame that it has not quite worked out for Politic in English football since the Romanian signed for Manchester United in the summer of 2012.

Despite putting in some eye-catching displays, the 21-year-old was mainly a squad player in the first half of the season and it did not look likely that he would have gone on to become a regular starter under Clarke.

It is sensible management for Vale to ensure they do not bend their wage structure to lure players to the club this month.

Clarke has the foundations of an automatic promotion squad at his disposal and disrupting the harmony within that would only have a negative impact on their aspirations this season.

It will be interesting to see who they source as a replacement in the window’s final fortnight.