Stockport County have been linked with former Norwich City defender Jonathan Tomkinson.
That’s according to US-based journalist Larry Henry Jr, who also credited Reading and Rotherham United with an interest in the centre-back.
The 23-year-old, a former USMNT youth international, spent the second half of last season on loan at Scottish side Ross County, and didn’t have his expiring contract with the Canaries renewed this summer.
The Hatters’ interest chimes with the club’s recent strategy, which County appear to be sticking to despite mixed success last season.
County eye low-cost deal for Tomkinson
Tomkinson would solve an immediate issue for Stockport.
They spent much of last season extremely short on centre-backs, especially when Dave Challinor opted to use a three-at-the-back system, with only two or three out-and-out centre-backs at his disposal at points in the campaign.
Bolstering this area of the pitch is key in any case, but Fraser Horsfall is still yet to sign a new deal and will be a free agent this summer if he doesn’t. It would be no shock to see young defender Ethan Pye attract interest from further up the pyramid, so the decision-makers at Edgeley Park may be gearing up for an even more intense centre-back need.
Owner Mark Stott has spoken candidly in the past about the club’s plan to recruit young, talented players from top-class academies who haven’t quite broken through, develop them further with consistent senior football and then potentially sell them on for a substantial fee.
A recent interview with County CEO Simon Wilson has made clear that the Hatters are still battling with financially stronger clubs than themselves, and their interest in Tomkinson appears to show they’re sticking to the same development-based transfer strategy.
Inspired Leeds United move is a strong case study
It’s little wonder the Hatters are fans of the strategy, given the success of Lewis Bate this season.
The 22-year-old was a hot prospect in the academies of Chelsea and Leeds United, but struggled with the transition into senior football and was released by the Whites.
Sensing an opportunity, the Hatters offered him a three-year deal and immediately installed him as captain upon arrival.
Bate in League One for County, as per WhoScored
Starts (Sub)
28 (5)
Goals
2
Assists
5
Tackles per 90
1.8
Key passes per 90
1
Pass success rate
85.1%
Bate didn’t let them down, rising to become one of County’s most important players, controlling games from the middle of the pitch.
If County were to sell him this summer, they would undoubtedly bag a handsome profit.
The same can be said of Jack Diamond, who wasn’t quite as impactful as Bate when arriving at Edgeley Park on a free transfer, but really began to show his quality towards the end of the season.
Manchester City deal shows potential pitfalls of the strategy
However, it has not always been that easy.
County tried a similar move with Manchester City academy product Lewis Fiorini, but it has not quite clicked so far for the 23-year-old.
He made just 15 appearances for the Hatters before being loaned out to Dundee United midway through his first season in SK3, a sign that the move hadn’t quite gone to plan in its initial stage.
As with the other young prospects mentioned, County handed Fiorini a three-year contract but, unlike the others, they also paid a fee for his transfer.
Fiorini is young, so there’s still plenty of time for the move to work out, but County will take a substantial financial hit if the midfielder’s fortunes do not change, showing the potential pitfalls of their transfer strategy.
Despite those largely positive but mixed results from last season, the club’s reported Tomkinson interest suggests that County are sticking to their guns this summer.
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