Burton Albion have been named as the League One club that are looking to Grimsby Town forward Charles Vernam by James Goodwin on Twitter.
The 23-year-old is out of contract at Grimsby Town, after a clerical error meant they were unable to activate a one-year option they had in his existing deal. That left them hoping to negotiate a new contract with the former Derby County trainee, but they have apparently been unable to do so. Manager Ian Holloway suggested that a League One club were looking to securing his services, with The Brewers now named as that side.
“Someone from League One has caught his attention,” said the former Blackpool boss.
“I might have lost someone who had just started getting going for us. We will have to see, none of this is actually formalised yet. He has told us he wants to play at the highest level. I have told him I think I can get this club to where that club is and I can get this club moving forward better than that other club.
“But they are higher than us at the moment so what more can I do?”
The Lincoln-born striker was attached to Scunthorpe United as a youngster, but moved to Derby County where he earned a full-time contract. Relatively uninspiring stints on loan at Coventry and IBV in Iceland led him to Blundell Park, where he bagged one in nine during a loan spell. He was signed on a permanent deal by the Mariners but struggled to impose himself on their first team. A stint with Chorley earlier this season saw him net three in four, at which point he returned to Grimsby and hit six goals.
Current Burton boss Jake Buxton will know of Vernam, having been at Derby County at the same time as the striker.
Our View
Charles Vernam had a good couple of months at Grimsby, but before his move to Chorley he had struggled to make an impact. He scored just five in 41 outings last season, never really getting going in what was a tough campaign for the Mariners.
However, since his loan spell, he looked revitalised and ready to make a big impact. Ian Holloway suggests he can get Grimsby to where the suitors, thought to be Burton, are currently, but right now that isn’t the case. Money won’t be the only driver here; trips to Ipswich, Sunderland and potentially Portsmouth are bound to lure younger players looking to make a name in the game.
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