Exclusive: Exeter City bid for Sam Nombe replacement rejected by Southend United | OneFootball

Exeter City have had a bid rejected for Southend United forward Harry Cardwell, sources have exclusively informed Football League World.

With Grecians number nine Sam Nombe reportedly set to join Championship side Rotherham United, the Devon club are lining up replacements and have turned their attention to the National League marksman.

Sam Nombe latest

Nombe has been outstanding for Exeter since he joined from MK Dons in the summer of 2021.

The centre-forward scored 10 times in 32 appearances in his first season at St James Park as he helped his new club win promotion to League One.

The step up to the third tier brought the best out of the 24-year-old, who bagged 17 goals and nine assists in all competitions as he played a central role in helping them secure their status in the division for another season.

But Nombe's form brought attention from clubs higher up the pyramid and with less than a year left on his current contract, reports yesterday revealed that Rotherham - led by former Grecians boss Matt Taylor - were in pole position to sign him before Friday's transfer deadline.

The Millers are said to have agreed a club-record seven-figure fee for the striker, who has undergone a medical, as they close in on the Barnsley and Charlton Athletic target.

Exeter City search for Sam Nombe replacement

Exeter appear to have identified a replacement for Nombe but it seems they may have to better their initial offer to get the player.

Sources have exclusively informed Football League World that the League One side have had a bid rejected by Southend for Cardwell.

It remains to be seen whether the Grecians will return with an improved offer or move onto other targets.

Who is Harry Cardwell?

A product of the Hull City and Reading academies, Cardwell has made the majority of his senior appearances in non-league football.

He got his first real chance at first team level after joining Grimsby Town in 2017. He made 53 appearances and scored just three goals in three years for the League Two club before dropping out of the EFL in a move to Chorley.

Impressive form in the National League North with Chorley and then on loan with Stockport County in the National League earned him a move to Southend in January 2022.

He's bagged 12 goals in 42 appearances for the Shrimpers since and has made an eye-catching start to the new campaign - scoring four goals in five games.

The former Scotland U21 player's 6ft 3 frame makes him a physical asset, which will be important as a replacement for Nombe.

Cardwell signed a two-and-a-half-year deal when he joined Southend in January 2022, which means just like Nombe he has entered the final 12 months of his contract.

The National League club's financial issues are well documented and have seen them deducted 10 points already this term, so they will surely be open to cashing in on the forward for the right price.