Stockport County targeting ambitious move for Scottish Premiership captain | OneFootball

Stockport County have been credited with an interest in out-of-contract defender Liam Gordon - captain of Scottish Premiership outfit St Johnstone.

The 28-year-old has been with the Saints since signing from fellow Scottish side Hearts in 2015 and has recently guided his side to Premiership safety.

This report comes days after the Hatters announced that centre-back Neill Byrne switched to League Two side Bradford City for an undisclosed fee.

That move means County are now short on defenders, and a move for Gordon could be designed to address that.

St Johnstone captain Liam gordon linked with move to Edgeley Park

The report arrives from Scottish outlet The Courier and Evening Telegraph, and suggests that Dave Challinor's side are interested in bringing the experienced centre-back to Edgeley Park.

The Perth-born defender has been a St Johnstone fan since youth, but his last contract, signed in October 2021, is set to expire this summer and fresh terms are yet to be agreed.

It has been reported by the same outlet that Saints manager Craig Levein is keen to keep the defender at McDiarmid Park, but Gordon's contract situation allows him to weigh up his options.

Gordon has turned out 200 times for the Scottish Premiership side and was a key figure in the club's remarkable League Cup and Scottish Cup double in 2021, shortly before he was made captain following the departure of Jason Kerr.

In a recent interview with The Courier, Gordon admitted that he wasn't sure what's next with regard to both his contract situation and a number of other out-of-contract players at McDiarmid Park, with the club currently undergoing a change in ownership.

Stockport County are light on defensive depth going into League One

It is no secret that Stockport will be in the market for defenders this summer.

With former loanee Rhys Bennett having returned to parent club Manchester United, and defender Byrne joining Bradford, County are now left with just Ethan Pye, Fraser Horsfall and Akil Wright at centre-back, along with Kyle Knoyle, who has played on the right of a three throughout the season but is more naturally deployed as a right wing-back.

As Challinor often likes to play three at the back, defensive numbers will need boosting at Edgeley Park, and Gordon could be a low-cost route to addressing that issue.

A strong leadership trio of Paddy Madden, Antoni Sarcevic and Ryan Croasdale have also left the club following the expiry of their contracts, so Gordon's experience as a captain would be a welcome addition to restore that balance as owner Mark Stott and director of football Simon Wilson look to pivot to a new strategy of recruiting younger, high-potential players.

Stockport County have past success in the Scottish free agent market

A move to bring Gordon to Edgeley Park would be the first time the 28-year-old has played outside of Scotland in his career, a fact which may raise some eyebrows among Hatters supporters as tracking the quality levels between the Scottish and English divisions is not a simple task.

However, it must be remembered that Gordon has been consistently captaining his side against European regulars like Celtic and Rangers for years; teams which are both unquestionably above the standard of any team County will face in League One.

The Hatters also have some success in this market too, with Will Collar having signed on a free transfer from Hamilton Academical in 2021 before going on to become one of the club's leading midfielders despite injury setbacks.

A move for Gordon may be a smart early move by Challinor's side, boosting defensive numbers with experience and adding a streak of leadership back into the squad, all at a low cost.