Stockport County may regret letting forward go as Blackburn Rovers, Bristol City and Cardiff City circle: View | OneFootball

The forward would seemingly slot straight into the Hatters' current transfer strategy

Stockport County head into the 2024/25 season having taken on numerous young players who they hope to be able to sell on for a profit in the future, but one young player let go on a free a few years ago is already attracting attention now.

Millenic Alli signed as part of a trio of young prospects that the Hatters brought to the club in the summer of 2021, but left a year later in a switch that took him to Halifax Town.

He has since earned a move into the Football League with Exeter City and is now attracting attention from further up the pyramid, with two years remaining on his deal with the Grecians.

While he may not have been in the shop window in the same way at Edgeley Park, it may be a source of some regret for the Hatters as they move towards a model of bringing in funds from player sales.

Alli attracts Championship interest

It has been reported by Football Insider that Bristol City, Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers are all interested in the 24-year-old, but the remaining years on his contract mean that a fee would be required to take him away from St James Park.

Alli only moved to the Devon side midway through last season following a consistent run of games in the National League for Halifax.

Since joining in February this year, he has made just 10 appearances and only three starts, but has already made a strong impression and finished his first taste of League One football strongly, scoring four goals in his final four appearances.

That late scoring streak came at the same time as his trio of inclusions in the starting line-up, so he will have left many at Exeter hungry for more next season, but the interest in him from the league above may mean the club have a fight on their hands to keep hold of him.

He could have followed the path of another Hatter

Alli joined as part of a trio of young prospects signed by County that summer, the other two being Lewis Earl and Ethan Pye.

Earl has since departed the club and is now with non-league side Bury, but Pye has gone on to be one of the hottest prospects at Edgeley Park following a breakout season last term.

As Alli was completing his permanent move to Halifax in the fifth tier, Pye was making a season-long temporary switch to Gateshead in the same division, with both players having completed loans in the sixth tier the season before.

Having impressed there, he returned the following season and quickly stamped his authority on the Hatters first team in League Two, winning promotion that season with the club.

If all stays the same, Pye and Alli will now both play their first full season in the third tier after remarkably similar paths, the only difference being that one has been highly beneficial to County, leaving the other feeling like a missed opportunity.

Alli, quite reasonably, acted in a way that he thought best for his career, and it has paid off, but Pye's progression goes to show that the same results may have been achievable by staying put. This may well be used as an example to the next batch of young players the Hatters look to put through a similar process, to show they're not missing out by staying where they are.

County won't lose too much sleep, but may keep an eye on next season's meetings

The Hatters have received plaudits from across English football for their recruitment this summer, attracting high-calibre young players who all look capable of contributing on the pitch now and to the club's financial outlook in the future. They won't spend too much time fretting over one potentially missed chance in Alli.

However, if the Grecians manage to keep hold of the forward, then County will no doubt have one eye on the two upcoming meetings in League One with Exeter. Any sense of regret regarding his departure would be amplified by seeing him score a goal against his former club, something that ex-Hatters have a strong habit of doing.

In this case, it may be a case for reflection rather than regret, and comparing Alli's path with the similar progress Pye has made has likely created the perfect example for the next batch of young talent to see what is possible while remaining inside the County structure.