As reported in The Sentinel, Port Vale chairman Norman Smurthwaite has announced that youngster, Nathan Smith, is set for contract talks with the club.
The Vale chairman has been bracing himself for bids for the 20-year-old defender, who has been a stand-out performer in the opening weeks of the season and has been a key reason why The Valiants have only lost two of their opening seven.
Smith, a product of Vales academy, signed his first professional deal in the summer of 2014 when he was just eighteen years of age.
He spent the 2014-15 season on loan at non-league Stafford Rangers, where he netted once in twenty-eight appearances.
Another loan spell followed the following season, this time to Torquay United where he really impressed. His fine form in the forty-four appearances he made for The Gulls saw him named both the club’s Player of the season and the Young Player of the season. His then manager, Kevin Nicholson, described him as a “freak of nature”.
His form while on loan at Torquay had caught the attention of his parent club and he was named as a starter in Vale’s 2016-17 opening day fixture against Bradford City, where he was named in the league’s team of the day.
Following an impressive august, Smith was named as a contender for League One’s player of the month award, just missing out to Scunthorpe United Winger, Josh Morris.
Although they would be entitled to compensation, it will be important that for Smurthwaite and Vale that the talks run smoothly; otherwise the club could financially, miss out on their talented youngster.
