Six months on from joining Grimsby Town, Kamil Conteh is set for a move away, with Bristol Rovers meeting the release clause in his Mariners contract, according to reports.
Bristol Live say that negotiations between the two clubs are in the final stages while personal terms aren’t expected to be an issue.
The Sierra Leone international has impressed in his 28 Town appearances so far despite the team’s overall struggles and shown why there was plenty of interest in him at Town’s level once it was clear he was not going to stay in Middlesbrough.
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It was a loan spell in the National League with Gateshead last term that raised the profile of the former Watford academy player, making 33 league appearances and helping the club reach the FA Trophy final.
Town went in and paid an undisclosed fee for the player who was still under contract at Middlesbrough and committed him to a three-year contract this summer. With two-and-a-half years left on that contract, Grimsby were reluctant to see the midfielder so soon, but the release clause installed into his contract has reportedly been met.
Grimsby boss David Artell’s open-ended response to questions about interest in Conteh suggested that there was basis to the initial rumours, and now it appears that progress has been made in negotiations since last week
“When things happen, they’ll happen, that is if they do happen,” said Artell. “If Kam [Conteh] keeps performing as he has done, then he’s going to have admirers elsewhere there is no doubt about that.
“[On whether he rules out a Janaury move] That’s a hypothetical question based on who, when and how much they’re offering. It also has to be right for Kam and his agent, so there are too many variables for me to say yes or no.”
It is undoubtedly a blow to lose such a talented player, especially on the defensive end, where Grimsby have struggled this term, despite Conteh leading the league for total completed tackles, and ranking highly for interceptions per 90.
If the move is completed, it will likely provide a big boost to the transfer coffers at Town, but it will not be easy to replace of player of Conteh’s quality in the January market, as the club work hard on securing more incomings of their own to add to the three secured already this month.
Original story at https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/
