Mansfield Town are nearing the signing of Caylan Vickers on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, according to Pete O’Rourke.
The 20-year-old will bolster the frontline of the Nottinghamshire outfit, and will arrive in the East Midlands with League One experience. The forward had previously played at this level for Reading last season, before being snapped up by the Seagulls youth academy almost a year ago to the day.
Career So Far
Vickers enjoyed an excellent campaign in 2021/22 for the Royals youth side, scoring and assisting five times in the U18’s Premier League. In May 2023, he signed his first professional deal with the club, debuting in their opening-day encounter against Peterborough.
He would go on to play fourteen times for the Berkshire outfit in the third tier, scoring in a win over Bolton. One of his final appearances for Reading came against the side he signed for the following month, playing seventeen minutes in the EFL Trophy defeat to Albion’s U21 side. Across all competitions for both teams last season, he scored six and assisted six times in 33 appearances.
So far this season, he has netted five times in Premier League 2, including a hat-trick and two assists in the remarkable 10-0 victory over rivals Crystal Palace in October. Vickers also added a brace to his tally away at Southampton in a 4-2 win. Against League Two opposition, he scored in the young Seagulls only win in the EFL Trophy at AFC Wimbledon.
Stags Recent Form
Mansfield’s latest loss to Shrewsbury Town on Saturday was their fifth defeat on the spin in all competitions, and the third consecutive game in which they had been defeated by a side in the bottom four. Their first campaign at this level for over two decades had begun very brightly, but recent form has left the club in fourteenth place, though they have a healthy twelve point buffer to the bottom four.
Nigel Clough has been heavily reliant on strikers Lee Gregory and Will Evans for goals this term, scoring ten each in League One. That accounts for over 57% of their goals, and it was no coincidence that the Stags form deteriorated when Gregory was injured.
Writer’s View
Vickers versatility across the frontline is an integral part of Clough’s reasoning for signing the 20-year-old, given the two starting strikers he already has at his disposal. With proven experience in the third tier, albeit only a small amount, the loanee will be hoping to chip in with a few goals to aid his personal development and the Stags progression up the table.
