Stockport County: Ambitious deals for Sheffield United, Newcastle United cast-offs would cover blind spot: View | OneFootball

Stockport County: Ambitious deals for Sheffield United, Newcastle United cast-offs would cover blind spot: View | OneFootball

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Football League World

·8 August 2024

Stockport County: Ambitious deals for Sheffield United, Newcastle United cast-offs would cover blind spot: View

Article image:Stockport County: Ambitious deals for Sheffield United, Newcastle United cast-offs would cover blind spot: View

Bringing in the two veterans could prove to be smart business by the Hatters

Stockport County have spent the summer bringing in a steady flow of top-class signings, but there may still be some icing on the cake to come.


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Most of the new recruits that have arrived at Edgeley Park have been exciting young players who can either grow with the club or progress and be sold for a profit, as envisioned by owner Mark Stott and director of football Simon Wilson.

The only thing relatively light throughout the squad is elite experience, but there were signs in pre-season that the decision-makers at County are looking at potential ways to address this.

Two trialists, both with strong Premier League experience, turned out at Edgeley Park, and a deal to bring either to the club could be a smart move for the Hatters.

Both trialists looked sharp on the pitch

Article image:Stockport County: Ambitious deals for Sheffield United, Newcastle United cast-offs would cover blind spot: View

The two men trialling at Edgeley Park were former Newcastle United forward Dwight Gayle and ex-Sheffield United midfielder Ollie Norwood.

Norwood impressed, getting around the pitch well, linking up play and not being afraid to get stuck in, despite the game against Blackburn Rovers just being a friendly.

Gayle had less to do as he was deployed as a sole striker and Blackburn had the best of the chances on the night, but of the touches he did take, he looked sharp and pressed well.

The pair's performances suggest that they are still able to operate at a good level in the game and could contribute something to this County side.

Experience could be key

The talk since the end of last season has been about lowering the average age of the headline squad and the Hatters have achieved that with recruits such as Lewis Bate and Lewis Fiorini.

However, what they gain in the future potential of players in that bracket, they lose in extensive experience in the professional game. This proved vital with players like Paddy Madden last season, who led the team through a tough period towards the end of the campaign to ensure they won the title.

There is no higher level in England, and potentially the world, than the Premier League. Gayle and Norwood have 145 and 97 top-flight games to their name respectively, with 27 of the latter's coming just last season.

Gayle could be seen in relaxed conversation with young defender Ethan Pye as they walked off the pitch at half-time against Blackburn, a sign that putting recognisable Premier League names around promising young players could be all the inspiration needed to take them to their top level and that the younger players are likely to respond well to it.

County leave door open to veteran duo in fan forum

The League One club regularly host fan forums to give supporters an opportunity to ask any burning questions about matters both on and off the pitch.

One that came up was about the pair's appearance in the friendly and, while stating that nothing was yet in the works to agree a deal with either, the door was not completely closed on the possibility of a deal. Journalist Sam Byrne reported that Wilson said: "Players who came in haven't signed anywhere; they're in process of identifying next moves. If we wanted to sign them, we have a budget & always make offers within that."

It remains to be seen whether either Gayle or Norwood reappear at Edgeley Park, but the merits of mixing that level of experience with a crop of exciting youngsters is clear to see.

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