I said in yesterday’s article on Josh Dacres-Cogley that there were two other significant names that had caught my eye, both of whom could be on the move this summer. As it’s Friday (well, it’s Thursday as I write this, but I want it to be Friday), I shall now furnish you with those names. Be aware, these are not players we’ve technically been linked with this summer, but they are players we have some connections with.
The first player is Reeco Hackett-Fairchild, someone we were linked with on Deadline Day in the winter. It is my understanding that link was solid, and we had shown an interest in the former Bromley winger. At the time, their boss wanted the wide player to stay, but it hasn’t been a happy time for him. Since that proposed move, he’s played just 11 matches, scoring twice, but hasn’t always been a starter.
It seems he could now move on if we were to revisit the interest. There would be a fee involved, but John Mousinho, the former Oxford player now in charge of Pompey, has opened the door on a departure. “There will be interest in him, there was a bit of interest in January, but we aren’t going to shut the door on any one player,” he said in an interview with local media. “I suspect there will be interest in Reeco and, if it’s something he’s interested in exploring, it’s a conversation that will be had internally at the club, and we’ll see where that lies.”
Reeco, a former Charlton youngster, would certainly suit our 3-4-3, as he can play anywhere across the front line. He’s 25, and is usually found on the left flank for Pompey, although he has operated from the right, and through the centre. He’s scored seven times in 60 outings for them but only started 27 games in his stint at Fratton Park.
The next name on the list is someone we’ve seen at the Bank recently, former Manchester City youngster Sammy Robinson. You might remember him coming on at half time during our event-filled 3-2 win, then going off down the tunnel for a second yellow before the game ended. At the time, Mark Kennedy spoke highly of Robinson, explaining how he knew him from his time at Man City, and how he was a player we liked.
“I know Sammy; I coached him. He is an incredible kid. I said to him before the game, ‘you should be really proud of yourself and what you are doing’. I am just a huge fan of him. For people who don’t know, and Port Vale fans won’t know, he has had a really tough start in his life and he is an incredible person. So, it was very tough on him to get that. But people need to understand the back story. Sometimes he can be a little bit emotional and rash, but he has great talent and is a really good player. Sammy should be really proud of himself for the career he’s having but they were probably two yellow cards.”
Well, if we like the 21-year-old, then we can now make a move, as he’s been released by Vale in their end-of-season shake-up. He has divided their fanbase – some have questioned his application and desire to be at the club, others praised his willingness to beat a player and make things happen.
Robinson is a full-back, certainly an attacking one, who would be very much at home in a 3-4-3. He’s young, and whilst his Port Vale stint has divided opinion, there’s no doubt he has a lot of talent if he could be managed and developed. I got the impression Mark is a huge fan, it is really odd for him to single out an opponent in the way he did.
I like the idea of Robinson, that’s for sure. He had spells at Leeds and Manchester City as a youth and played for England at Under 15, 16 and 17 levels. I feel he could benefit from working with someone like MK, who clearly understands his backstory and circumstances, but also at a club with a track record of developing young players, especially full backs, as evidenced by Tayo Edun, Harry Toffolo, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Regan Poole and Cohen Bramall.
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