Tribal Football

Darren Moore exclusive: How Port Vale utilise the loan market and landed Villa keeper Gauci

Darren Moore exclusive: How Port Vale utilise the loan market and landed Villa keeper Gauci
Darren Moore exclusive: How Port Vale utilise the loan market and landed Villa keeper GauciJavier Garcia / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

Port Vale manager Darren Moore admits tapping the British loan market is crucial for clubs outside the Premier League.

Moore, a former top-flight manager with West Brom, spoke with Tribalfootball.com about the importance of the loan market and how Port Vale have managed to utilise it for this season's return to League one.

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"It's huge," admits Moore. "It plays a huge part because you're able to get a quality of player that you might not be able to get. You take them from their bigger clubs and the bigger clubs are happy to loan you them because you're giving them first team football, which is developing them further to get nearer their teams in the Championship and the Premier League.

"So to have them with you, you get that extra bit of quality player - and that can make such a wonderful contribution to your season going forward."

Among this season's loanees at Port Vale is Aston Villa goalkeeper Joe Gauci. A senior Australia international, Gauci arrived at Villa in January from the A-League and this move to Vale is his first chance of regular senior football on English soil.

Moore continued: "A very good goalkeeper, really good, really confident boy. With crosses, he dominates his box really, really well. So we're really pleased to have him on board.

"So we took advantage of that one. We took Dajaune Brown from Derby County, a striker, and we took Mo Faal away from Wrexham as well, as another striker to help us in that frontline department. 

"Two younger boys, but there's a lot of quality and flair that they'll give us this season. So  we've got them in now and all three of them are now physically fit. We've got them to a level that we want to see them physically and they're going to play a huge part for us this season."

 

Key contacts at bigger clubs

A key to clinching the Gauci deal was the impact of Rico Richards last season as Vale won promotion. The winger's loan from Villa eventually being made permanent over the summer.

"Yeah, that definitely helped," says Moore. "What you end up doing when you get promoted, you get yourself back into the arena and the ring with everybody else, and you're jostling to get those better loan players. So to get those in, they give us wonderful options at the front.

"And as we've seen already this season, Joe Gauci has done some classy things... He's had, what? Five clean sheets now? I think we're going to be good for him."

Moore continued: "We have good contacts there (Aston Villa), which helped us bring in Joe Gauci, so really, really pleased."

Explaining how Villa will keep tabs on Gauci over the season, Moore adds: "They'll send representatives in, over one of the weeks just to come and have a visual and to see them physically in the environment as well. 

"But we keep them well up-to-date with information on them, how they're getting on, just like we would do when we send our players to other clubs."

Port Vale currently sit 22nd in League One, a point outside the bottom three. On Saturday, Vale host bottom-of-the-table Plymouth Argyle.

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