Neil Critchley confirms Blackpool hold interest in Leicester City player with transfer decision expected soon | OneFootball

Blackpool manager Neil Critchley has revealed that the Tangerines have taken Leicester City defender Mitch Clark on trial and will make a decision on whether to sign him in the near future.

Critchley’s side have been on the hunt for a new right-back this summer following the departure of Ollie Turton to Huddersfield Town.

The Blackpool Gazzette have reported that Blackpool had a trialist right-back that is believed to be Clark in their side for the second 45 minutes of their pre-season friendly against Carlisle United on Saturday.

The 22-year-old spent time out on loan with League Two Port Vale last season and he managed to make 11 appearances for them in the fourth tier.

That came after he had previously enjoyed a fine campaign on loan with Vale in 2018/19 making 40 appearances in the league when he was at Aston Villa. He moved to Leicester City’s youth side in the summer of 2019.

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Speaking to the Blackpool Gazette, Critchley revealed that Clark has been training with the Tangerines over the last week and that he has been an admirer of his for a while now from his time at Aston Villa before his Leicester move. He added that a decision will be made on whether to sign him shortly.

He said: “Mitch is someone who’s been with us all week.

“I’ve been aware of him for his time coming through at Aston Villa and at Leicester and he’s had a couple of loan experiences as well.

“He’s trained with us all week and he’ll play again hopefully on Tuesday. Then we’ll be in a better position to make a decision with him.

“He got 45 minutes on Saturday, we’ll see what he does again on Tuesday but I was pleased with how he did.”

The verdict

This would be a potentially smart signing by Blackpool and they are taking the right approach in taking the defender on trial first before assessing whether they should sanction a move for him this summer.

Critchley seems to think that the 22-year-old is someone that could provide the qualities that they need in the right-back position.

Clark needs to be getting regular game time at the highest level possible next term and you can understand why Leicester would feel a loan to Blackpool would be ideal for him.

Critchley has proven himself to be an ideal coach to develop young and talented players and you would expect him to get the best out of the full-back.

It was always going to be crucial that Blackpool add to their right-back options this summer following the departure of Turton. Clark appears to be a good alternative, but it is important that they are sure before pressing ahead because it will be a big step up for the 22-year-old if he arrives at the newly-promoted Championship side.