Salford City have agreed on a deal to sign Burton Albion striker Cole Stockton, according to transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke.
The former Barrow, Morecambe and Tranmere Rovers forward has reportedly opted to switch The Pirelli for The Peninsula becoming the Ammies’ first signing of the summer as they prepare for another season in League Two.
Why have Salford targeted Stockton?
Stockton’s goalscoring record speaks for itself, scoring 23 goals in League One for Morecambe in the 2021/22 campaign, steering the Lancashire side away from relegation.
The following season he netted 11 times in League One, making it 34 goals across two seasons for the Shrimps.
Following their relegation to League Two on the final day of the 2022/23 season, Stockton was released and was picked up by Burton Albion last summer.
The 30-year-old struggled to hit scoring form for the Brewers, not finding the back of the net in the ten league games he featured in for Burton this season as he struggled with injuries. He was subsequently loaned out to Barrow in January 2024 with the Bluebirds pushing for a play-off place.
His loan spell in Cumbria was much more fruitful, he scored seven times in 15 league starts for Pete Wild’s side who narrowly missed out on the playoffs.
How will Stockton fit in at Salford?
With the Ammies announcing the departure of player-of-the-season Matt Smith nearly a month ago, it was evident Karl Robinson would need to find someone to replace the striker’s 24-league-goals last season.
Stockton could be the perfect fit, like any good striker he will need good service, which he will get from the likes of Luke Garbutt. Standing at 6ft 1 in, he should have no problem fitting into Salford’s system of getting crosses into the box and playing off the striker (3rd in L2 for accurate crosses and 2nd in L2 for accurate long balls).
Can Stockton be the man to get Salford promoted?
I believe he can be, it’s no secret that Salford will be aiming for promotion to League One this season after somewhat stagnating, and Stockton is certainly a statement signing that shows this ambition.
Any player that can score 23 league goals in the division above clearly knows how to find the back of the net and it’s down to the manager to build a team around that player, something Robinson has done before in his managerial career, think Matt Taylor 20/21 and 21/22 when Oxford United were flirting with the League One playoffs.
He will certainly have big, Matt Smith-sized boots to fill though, the added pressure of being the main man may be more of a hindrance than a help, as his best work at Morecambe came in a time that he was unproven at the level.
Time will tell, if this signing does prove to be successful it could very much be a move that we look back on at the end of the 2024/25 season as one of the best transfers in League Two in this summer window.