Stockport County have been linked with a move f0r Salford City defender Ibou Touray, who is out of contract this summer, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke for Football Insider.
Touray was incredibly influential for Salford last season, starting 44 of the club’s League Two fixtures as well as both legs of the play-offs. The defender, who is usually deployed as a left back but has also stretched to left midfield, supplied nine assists for his teammates in what was a standout season for the 28-year-old.
Who is Ibou Touray?
Most well-known for his time with Salford, Touray was a part of the Everton academy, and he would make 37 appearances for the under-21s but would never make a senior appearance. He would then apply his trade for non-league sides Chester and Nantwich Town, whilst also having a period in Wales with Rhyl. The Gambian ended up joining Salford in 2017 and was a part of the side who won back to back promotions, first as Champions of the National League North before winning the National League play-off final to advance to the Football League for the first time in the club’s history. Touray predominantly plays on the left of a back four, however when Salford resorted to three at the back at points in the season, the 28-year-old has been pushed into midfield. Now with 230 appearances under his belt for Salford, Touray will bring a vast wealth of experience to whoever he joins next.
With his contract up at the end of the month at Salford, it is believed that the Gambian international will be moving on to pastures new in the forthcoming summer. The current team who are leading the race for his signature are believed to be rivals Stockport County. This would be a huge blow to Salford and a huge boost to County as both sides are expected to be challenging for promotion next season.
How did both sides get on in the season?
Both Manchester clubs had very similar seasons. Stockport would finish fourth, with 79 points, whilst Salford were just behind in seventh on 75 points. This therefore meant that the two sides would meet in the semi-finals of the play-offs. The Ammies would win the first leg 1-0 before Stockport equalled that scoreline in regular time of the second leg. The game at Edgeley park would eventually go to penalties, with Stockport prevailing and booking their ticket to Wembley. They however couldn’t get past Carlisle United on penalties in the final, and will be staying in League Two next season. With both team’s expected to be near the top of an ultra-competitive league next season, the small changes could really matter. Stockport adding Touray could be the missing piece of their puzzle.
Writer’s view
This would be a transfer that Salford fans would hate to see, especially as Stockport are one of their rivals both geographically and in the league. The move would make sense for Touray, both in a geographical sense but also as Stockport really are a team going places. They came so close to promotion last season, and with the addition of Touray you’d expect them to step up to another level if the deal does go through.
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