With the confirmation of Alex Hurst’s transfer to EFL League Two club Port Vale released over the weekend, Bradford (Park Avenue) can now confirm further details on the deal.
The two clubs have agreed an undisclosed fee for the highly rated teenager with a condition that the 19-year-old will stay at Horsfall Stadium until at least the start the of the January transfer window, meaning he will remain a key member Garry Thompson’s squad for the 2019/20 season.
The signing confirms Park Avenue’s ability to recruit and develop young talent with their extensive scouting network both in the UK and USA as club owner Gareth Roberts explains, “Alex has shown that there is a development pathway here at Park Avenue. “This move is a case study of the model that we are developing at the club. “The key to this deal was getting Alex back at Horsfall. We are thankful to Port Vale for the flexibility they have shown. “Alex is hopefully just the start as we aim to continue to find untapped talent.”
Port Vale’s first team coach Danny Pugh was at Park Avenue’s game with Huddersfield Town last Tuesday night with the midfielder having already trained with the Valiants during pre-season. He also featured in the friendlies at Leek Town and Nottingham Forest reserves.
Park Avenue manager Garry Thompson, who played nearly all his career in League football acknowledged its a big opportunity for Hurst saying, “Alex has done fantastically well and as a club we’re delighted for him to have got the move to play professionally but also that he can come back and play for us. He’s worked hard and deserves everything he’s got. Whilst we naturally want to keep our best players, the transfer shows that we are committed to developing talent but also won’t stand in anyone’s way to progress.”
Picture credit Tom Pearson