Stockport County have joined Wrexham in the race to recruit Tom Lawrence, who recently left SPFL giants Rangers, making the 31-year-old available for free.
According to a new report from Amar Mehta and Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports on the publication’s Transfer Centre live blog (13:05 – 22/06), the Hatters are looking to position themselves as League One promotion candidates again next season.
Dave Challinor’s record at Edgeley Park has been exemplary, with the Cheshire club rising from the National League to the third-tier play-offs in four years under his management, and many believe they will be among the front-runners for the top six once more in a division that includes Luton Town, Cardiff City, and Plymouth Argyle, as well as Huddersfield Town and Bolton Wanderers, both of whom have invested heavily thus far.
Stockport fell short in the post-season lottery, losing to Leyton Orient on penalties in SK3 last month, but they hope their project will be enough to entice Lawrence to join the club despite competition from his hometown club and several other Championship outfits, with the Red Dragons expected to invest heavily this summer ahead of their first second-tier campaign since 1982.
Stockport County, along with Wrexham AFC, West Brom, and Coventry City, have entered the Tom Lawrence transfer race.
Lawrence’s experience at Ibrox has been extremely uneven since coming on a free transfer under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the summer of 2022, having left the then-financially troubled Derby County.
During that period, the attacking midfielder appeared in 69 games for the Light Blues, scoring 12 goals and assisting seven more.
During his final season with the Scottish giants, Lawrence drew attention from many second-tier clubs after it was announced last year that Rangers would demand £5 million for his services, with Burnley and Sheffield United connected with a January move.
| Tom Lawrence in the 24/25 Scottish Premiership (via FotMob) | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 18 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Pass accuracy | 79.9% |
| Tackles won | 71.4% |
As last season came to a close, West Brom, Wrexham, and Coventry City were mentioned as potential destinations for the former Manchester United academy graduate, a situation that TEAMtalk supported in a subsequent report, as well as reported interest from Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers in April.
Alongside the plethora of Championship sides looking to strike an agreement with the 30-year-old free agent as he joins Leon Balogun and Ianis Hagi on the list of senior departures in Glasgow, it has now been reported that Stockport are interested in enticing the 23-time Welsh international to drop into League One for the first time in just under 12 years, which came during a loan spell with Carlisle United.
Tom Lawrence would represent another significant coup for Stockport County amid Championship interest.
While many would expect Lawrence to be drawn to Wrexham at this stage of his career, given the flash and glamour presently associated with the North Wales club, Stockport will still be optimistic about landing the seasoned playmaker.
County has previously defied the odds in attracting players of a similar caliber, with Ollie Norwood joining the club last summer following their League Two title-winning season and going on to be an integral part of the attacking and creative flair that was displayed at Edgeley Park for the majority of the campaign.
With Challinor signing a new three-year contract extension, beating the Welsh side and the likes of West Brom and Coventry, who are expected to challenge for the Championship play-off positions for a player of Lawrence’s ability, would only add to the optimism surrounding Stockport at the moment, and it would certainly make divisional rivals aware of their intentions.
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