Port Vale had a successful season last year as they finished the campaign sat fifth in the league and went on to win the League Two play-offs beating Mansfield 3-0 in the final.
Whilst the Valiants will have been keen to celebrate their achievements, work will have quickly shifted to look ahead to the new season as they look to keep their place in League One.
Darrell Clarke has made a couple of signings so far but if he is looking to strengthen his team further then he will no doubt be looking at bringing some more faces in before the new season is underway.
With that in mind, here we take a look at the latest news stories coming out of Vale Park.
Rory Holden
After spending last season will Walsall, it was reported that the midfielder turned down a new contract with the League Two making him a free agent this summer.
Having previously worked under the management of Clarke at Walsall, the 24-year-old has reunited with his old boss and is on trial at Port Vale currently.
Holden had a tough time of late having suffered with a knee injury so Clarke is keen not to put too much pressure on the player who performed well for him at Walsall.
However, the boss did tell Stoke-on-Trent Live that he has the capability to be a great asset for the club and the situation would continue to be looked at.
Therefore, if he makes good progress, we could see him sign for the side soon.
Quiz: 20 statements about former Port Vale players – Are they true or false?
Lucas Covolan
Despite making 22 appearances for Vale in the first half of last season, Lucas Covolan has joined Chesterfield on a season long loan spell in the National League.
Aidan Stone was Vale’s first choice goalkeeper for the second half of last season and made 28 appearances for the side.
The 22-year-old remains under contract with the club meaning they are prepared in that position.
However, following Covolan’s exit, Stone is now the only senior goalkeeper remaining on the books at the club meaning Clarke will no doubt be on the hunt for someone to come in and provide back-up.
Summer business
As previously mentioned, Vale will be looking to do some further business this summer and Clarke has admitted there’s still a fair bit in his mind in preparation for next season.
Speaking to Stoke-on-Trent Live, the boss admitted: “That [goalkeeper] is certainly an area we are going to look to strengthen. The top end of the pitch, midfield, wing-back areas, we have a lot of work to do and we are doing a lot of work on it.”
Therefore, we can see that Vale fans should expect a lot to come as we edge closer to the start of the season.
With the majority of players out of contract now being free agents, the team at Vale Park will no doubt be working hard to look at potential people to come in as well as inviting names in for trials to get an idea of how they would be in a team.
Whilst fans may feel worried approaching the new season as it stands, Clarke will no doubt be hoping any signings up his sleeve can make the difference.
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