BYERS HAS THE TALENT TO HELP VALIANTS TICK IN THE MIDDLE
ONCE again, Darren Moore has swooped to bring in a player who could help bring a much-needed uplift at Vale Park. An exciting squad is taking shape and George Byers is part of that equation.
Byers is another midfielder, described as box-to-box and a creative player with excellent passing ability. He can win tackles too.
At 28, he is another Moore has managed to capture at what could be the peak of his career.
As is the case with one or two of Vale’s other signings, not all has gone smoothly for Byers who has also played under managers such as Graham Potter, Steve Cooper and Danny Cowley.
He has enjoyed the highs of playing in an EFL Wembley final while on loan at Portsmouth despite being on the wrong end of the result in 2020 as Salford City picked up the trophy. Other big games too.
Byers has also suffered his fair share of injuries.
In February 2020 he sprained an ankle which kept him out for three months. He then had groin surgery in the summer of 2020 and missed the first half of the 2020/21 campaign before joining Pompey on loan in January 2021.
After joining Sheffield Wednesday in August 2021 he was sidelined for two months with a groin issue.
He then missed the last four months of the 2022/23 season with a hamstring injury and missed the club’s League One play-off final victory against Barnsley.
Interestingly, he played 22 games for Wednesday last season before being sent off on December 29 for an off-the-ball incident against Preston, which proved to be his last at the club. He spent the remainder of last term on loan at Blackpool in League One.
So here we have another player seemingly in need of proving himself and getting a good run of games under his belt.
It was interesting when he was asked in an interview why he chose to join Port Vale.
I’m thinking maybe the offer of
a three-year deal might have had something to do with that. Players aren’t silly.
They know a good deal when they see one and sometimes football is about which managers like you and which don’t.
Managers and players often share a bond and link up later in their careers. That seems to be the case here with Moore throwing Byers a lifeline – and owner Carol Shanahan
agreeing to the contract and backing her manager 100 per cent.
For all the criticism she got last season, there is no denying that Shanahan is doing her utmost to give Moore everything he needs to take the club back to League One.
Byers is one of nine new signings so far and he looks determined to nail down a place in the team in what will be a new-look Valiants team next season.
He brings more experience to the midfield at Vale Park and there is no doubt Moore will want to reduce the squad still further with the host of players who remain on contract from last season.