Stockport County are aiming to become a club that platforms quality young talents, with the hope of selling them on for a profit further down the line.
In light of that, their decision to not renew the contract of Millenic Alli ahead of the 2022/23 season, when they already had him at the club, will likely be viewed as a mistake.
That’s due in part to his subsequent performances, first for Halifax and then Exeter City, but the real kicker is his big-money move in the winter window of the 2024/25 season to Luton Town.
The Hatters could have had a talented forward in their ranks for the past few seasons and now be sat on a big pile of cash, but instead they let the player slip through their fingers.
Stockport County plucked Millenic Alli from nowhere
The part of the Alli scenario that will provoke the most regret in those at Edgeley Park is the fact that they’d already done the hardest part: unearthing a hidden gem.
This was not an instance of County picking up a player who’s dropped out of a Premier League academy system to give him another shot — Alli rose through the ranks at Bury FC, with stints at South Shields and Workington Town, before signing for County on a free transfer after leaving Ashton United.
In other words, County had identified a talent seemingly from nowhere.
Unlike Ethan Pye — who was signed at the same time and rose to become one of the club’s key defenders a few seasons later — Alli made just one senior appearance for the Hatters, in an FA Trophy tie against Cheshunt, having spent time with Chorley on loan.
Millenic Alli’s worked hard to build himself back up
At the end of the 2021/22 season, County published their ‘released and retained’ list, announcing that Alli was not offered a contract ahead of the upcoming campaign.
With the club preparing for their first season back in the Football League, seeing Alli pop back up with National League Halifax likely didn’t give the decision-makers at County too many sleepless nights, despite him scoring nine and seven league goals in the following two seasons.
Then, perhaps, came the first point the Hatters may have noted the mistake they’d made.
Alli leapfrogged the Hatters to sign for League One outfit Exeter for an undisclosed fee.
County joined him in the third tier in the 2024/25 season, which saw him net nine in 25 appearances for the Grecians, before the real kicker came.
| Alli for Exeter in 2024/25, as per WhoScored | |
|---|---|
| Starts (Sub) | 19 (6) |
| Goals | 9 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Key passes per 90 | 0.7 |
| Dribbles per 90 | 1.1 |
| xG | 5.64 |
Leaving Stockport in his dust again, Alli gained entrance to the Championship in January 2025 courtesy of a staggering £1.5million move to Luton.
The scale of that deal will leave many at Edgeley Park wondering if more could have been done to see some of those profits flow towards the Hatters.
Positives to note and lessons to take for the Hatters
It certainly feels like a missed opportunity, but it’s not all doom and gloom.
What County can take some comfort from is that their talent identification system is capable of working wonders.
They plucked Alli, a player who would go on to be viewed as a Championship player in a few years, from nowhere from local side Ashton United — that’s no easy job.
But, as displayed by Pye, who required a couple of loans and an unexpected chance via injury issues elsewhere to get his chance, it can take some time for a player to show their full potential.
Had they shown similar patience with Alli, it could have been County, rather than Exeter, pocketing that considerable fee.
There are positives to take for the club’s talent identification, but that won’t stop the Hatters from regretting not giving Alli greater opportunities — it proved a costly misstep by the club.
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