Stockport County could be set to bid farewell to one of their first-team players on deadline day, following significant interest from a League Two promotion chasing side.
Dave Challinor’s side are currently battling in the playoff places in League One, aiming to potentially secure back-to-back promotions and become a Championship side.
Currently, the club find themselves fourth in League One, having won four matches on the bounce – keeping a clean sheet in three of them as well as suffering a narrow 1-0 loss against Premier League side Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.
However, their ongoing league heroics in recent weeks have been complete without the presence of one first-team member who now looks set to potentially leave the football club on deadline day.
According to journalist Alan Nixon, Stockport County goalkeeper Corey Addai is a permanent transfer target for League Two play-off chasers MK Dons, with the fourth tier side aiming to complete a transfer before Monday’s 11pm deadline.
How has he fared so far this season?
The 27-year-old completed a permanent move to Stockport County during the summer transfer window, despite being ever-present in fellow promoted side Crawley Town.
Addai was likely brought in to compete against long-standing goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe and initially it seemed as though he was the preferred choice, however recently things have changed.
So far this season, Addai has made 14 league appearances for Dave Challinor’s side, keeping five clean sheets and averaged two saves per 90 minutes. This was followed up by two further outings in the EFL Trophy and one in the FA Cup, but didn’t manage to add to his clean sheet tally.
Why is he out of favour?
Despite being signed and subsequently deployed as the club’s number one, Addai has fallen considerably out of favour since he conceded five goals during a heavy league defeat against promotion-chasers Wycombe Wanderers in early-November.
Addai was dropped by Challinor following the result, missing their 5-0 win over Bolton before returning between the sticks in the EFL Trophy as Stockport were beaten by League Two side Tranmere Rovers.
Since then, Addai has only featured twice for the League One side with both outings arriving in cup competitions and now faces an uncertain future with Stockport moving forward.
How likely is a move?
According to Nixon, current MK Dons manager Scott Lindsay is eyeing a reunion for his former goalkeeper but they have their work cut out if they are going to strike a deal.
This is due to Stockport County currently being unsure as to whether they will be willing to hand Addai the green light to complete a deadline day exit, likely due to depth or him still being in Challinor’s plans despite the lack of minutes recently.
Nixon using the phrasing ‘bargain deal’ and ‘move on’ suggest that this deal would be a permanent move for Addai rather than a temporary exit, which likely explains why Stockport are reluctant to letting the 27-year-old depart.
Readers, what do you think about this potential transfer?