Stockport County may still wonder what might’ve been without Hull City move: View | OneFootball

Fans will forever wonder if the young star could have grown with the club without Championship move

Stockport County now have a steady flow of exciting young prospects coming through their ranks, but turn the clock back to 2019/20 and few came quite as exciting as Festus Arthur.

He produced a scintillating breakthrough season that year, quickly endearing himself to supporters and becoming a fan favourite.

His performances at such a young age predictably attracted interest from further up the pyramid and, as any young player would, he grabbed the chance of League One football with both hands.

Now 24 and just returning from a loan spell with National League North outfit Southport, many Hatters fans will wonder if Arthur could have risen through the divisions with County.

He was one of Edgeley Park's brightest sparks that season

With Mark Stott's considerable investment yet to land at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, County fans were adjusting to life back in the fifth tier and readying themselves for a long battle towards a Football League return, still operating on a shoestring budget.

Naturally, therefore, when a player as gifted as Arthur arrives on the scene, looking more grown than many of the club's senior players in his latter teenage years, it is a source of significant excitement.

He started 23 of his 31 appearances that season, predominately at centre-back alongside club legend Ash Palmer, but also stepped into a defensive midfield position on occasion.

It made him a shoo-in for that year's George Haigh Young Player of the Year award, with such a promising start leading fans to wonder what may come from Arthur.

His Hull City decision made perfect sense

Having risen through the youth systems at County and Oldham Athletic, it is clear to see why Arthur would jump at the chance to join Hull City, then in League One following relegation from the second tier, when the offer came in that summer.

Not only was it a shot at the Football League, but the club also offered him a three-year deal, providing strong job security for the coming seasons. It's a deal that very few in his position would turn down.

He looked certain to keep progressing, with reports that he had even attracted attention from some Premier League clubs before agreeing his deal at the MKM Stadium.

Sadly, however, things would not quite go to plan for Arthur at Hull. His progress stalled, and he became stuck on the periphery of the squad.

In his two years with the Tigers, he made just two senior appearances, before the two parties mutually agreed to end his contract early so that he could join National League outfit Halifax, from where he recently had his temporary switch to Southport in the league below.

He may have grown with the Hatters

We'll never know how it might have gone had Arthur sensationally rejected the offer from a team two leagues higher, but those who saw him at County will attest to the fact that establishing himself in the Football League would not have been an unrealistic aim.

He wasn't to know it, but when he left Edgeley Park, the Hatters were about to embark on a journey that would see them rise to League One themselves. With more consistent minutes and the backing of a home crowd that had watched him announce himself on the senior scene, he may have been in the perfect place to go on that journey with County.

It's an easy leap to make with hindsight; few would have picked a different path. Furthermore, at 24 years old now, there's still plenty of time left in his career to turn his fortunes and climb the leagues.

There was likely nothing anyone would have done any differently, but that won't stop fans wondering what might have been if County had been able to keep hold of Arthur.