League One sides Stevenage and Charlton Athletic have been joined by ambitious National League side Oldham Athletic are in the race for Burton Albion striker Cole Stockton, after the 29-year-old has been made available, according to Alan Nixon on his Patreon account (paywall).
The former Morecambe forward only linked up with the Brewers in the summer as a free agent following the expiry of his contract with the Shrimps, but his time has been blighted by injury and an inability to regain his goal scoring form. Reports have emerged over the last few months that the player may be unhappy at the Pirelli Stadium and looking to move alerting several clubs.
Charlton are named as one of the three to be looking at the player. Michael Appleton had been confident in getting Peterborough United striker Jonson Clarke-Harris through the door, but with that deal now seemingly dead, they could move their attention to Stockton. They are joined by Steve Evans’ Stevenage who are keen to continue their impressive season by adding additional firepower to their line up.
The third name mentioned is National League side Oldham Athletic, who are keen to continue their push for a play-off spot. Non-league clubs, this year have boasted several high profile striking additions such as James Norwood and Will Grigg, meaning that a deal is more realistic that it may have seemed in recent years.
Writer’s View
Stockton was the saga of the summer and it looks like he could be well on his way to forcing himself to be one of the sagas of the January window too. His Burton spell has not worked, through injury and lack of form he is clearly not happy. The Brewers hailed his signing as somewhat of a coup after several other League One sides were reported to be chasing him, they would be best to just let him go as quickly as possible and spend the money elsewhere.