Kamil Conteh’s long-speculated move to Bristol Rovers has now been completed with the League One outfit prizing him away from Grimsby Town after just six months at Blundell Park.
The 21-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the Gas, just half a season on from singing the same length of contract with the Mariners, with Rovers seeing enough in his 28 appearances for Town this term to take the plunge.
The reported fee for the deal is £300k, which could just be the initial fee to meet his release clause, not including potential future instalments and performance-related add-ons that may have been put in to sweeten the deal for Grimsby, but there is no official confirmation.
Town were reluctant to see Conteh leave this month, and they held out for as long as they could to get the best deal possible, with a 20% sell-on clause also said to be included in the deal.
Conteh completed his medical on Friday morning with the announcement following in the afternoon, with Rovers managing to get the deal through after interest from elsewhere forced Town to delay an agreement as they listened to other proposals.
Town went in and paid an undisclosed fee for the player who was still under contract at Championship club Middlesbrough and committed him to a three-year contract last summer.
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.
The young midfielder had settled in well at Grimsby despite how the season has unfolded, playing a big role in the team under the man who brought him into the club – Paul Hurst – and now with David Artell, both of whom have seen his potential along with many others.
Defensively speaking, he is one of the best young players at this level, leading League Two rankings for total completed tackles, and with more interceptions per 90 than anyone else in the Mariners squad this term.
Conteh’s departure leaves a gap in Town’s armour that needs to be filled with under a week now left to find a replacement of some kind, with the space that has been cleared up by recent departures at least opening up more avenues for incomings from a financial standpoint.
The 21-year-old said about the move: “I’m delighted to be here, and am looking forward to cracking on and getting playing. In terms of the size of the club, where they are in the table, and the manager’s plans for me, I just really wanted to be a part of it.”
Original story at https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/
