Owner move shows why Stockport County must entertain Blackburn Rovers interest | OneFootball

Stockport County supporters were braced for interest in Ethan Pye this summer

Young Stockport County defender Ethan Pye has impressed over the last few seasons since breaking into the Hatters’ senior side, and as such, interest in him has long been expected.

The first rumblings that it had arrived came from Alan Nixon, via his Patreon page, stating that Blackburn Rovers were interested, which was followed up by journalist Sam Byrne, who confirmed no bid had been received, but County’s asking price of £3m or more was believed to be legitimate.

In an ideal world, having developed Pye from a teenage youth prospect to a fully-fledged League One defender, the Hatters would love to keep hold of him, but owner Mark Stott has long been clear that he wants to move to a player-trading model to reach sustainability.

That need was brought into sharp focus when Kieran Maguire revealed Stott’s latest largesse, showing exactly why the County must entertain offers for the likes of Pye.

County need sales for sustainability

Maguire revealed, via his X account, that Stott had put another £10m into County, the club he took over back in 2020, using £7.7m of his own money for the initial investment, both of which are added to another £11m he threw into the club coffers, as reported earlier this year.

It’s difficult to put a precise sum on exactly how much the locally-born businessman has put into County, but just those three public examples alone paint a clear picture that the club is heavily reliant on Stott’s generosity.

While a figure like Stott was needed to kickstart County’s push back into the Football League, regular and large deposits from the owner will not be desirable long term, something the man himself is aware of.

In an interview with club media following the end of the 2023/24 season, which saw County promoted to League One, Stott was clear about the need to sign young players to later sell on for a profit, to compete with the bigger budgets they were encountering at the higher level and also to help the club move towards standing on its own two feet.

Selling players only helps promote the Hatters’ model

To achieve the owner’s aim for the next phase of County’s growth, the club have got to be open to selling players at their optimum value which, for fans, will often cause the most short-term pain.

Not only does selling at this point bring in the most money, giving the club a substantial and self-generating boost towards profitability, it also acts as an advert to the next young prospect.

If the Hatters block moves over negligible amounts of money, or stand in a young player’s way when the chance to play at a higher level presents itself, players, and agents, will take note when weighing up a move to Edgeley Park.

Being a development club open to player trading is just as important as appearing so to the wider public.

A reasonable offer for Pye will hurt but must be accepted

Nixon’s report states that County’s £3m asking price is higher than what Blackburn want to pay, and being open to offers does not mean reducing to clear, but if an offer from a club like Rovers does come in, in an acceptable range, County must accept it.

Stott is unlikely to want to put in substantial eight-figure sums into the club on an annual basis, and selling the likes of Pye at the right time will help reduce that need.

As County’s reputation as a development club grows, more prospects will find their way to Edgeley Park, generating more funds and moving ever closer to the sustainability needed to organically take the club to the next level.

Pye was brought in as a young prospect and has, to a significant degree, grown with the club.

But as a left-footed young centre-back who is comfortable in possession, he is one of County’s most desirable players. Under contract until 2027, that naturally makes him one of the most valuable.

It makes him one of the most painful to lose, but if the right money is on the table, the Hatters must entertain it for the long-term gain.