Stockport County drop reveal on Nick Powell's future - frustration will be the overriding feeling | OneFootball

The club, fans and Nick Powell alike will feel his time with the Hatters could have produced so much more

Stockport County have made clear that midfielder Nick Powell’s time with the club is up.

Suspicions were raised when the club announced their squad numbers for the upcoming campaign, omitting Powell’s name entirely.

His upcoming departure was then confirmed by manager Dave Challinor on BBC Radio Manchester’s Total Sport, despite still having a year left to run on his current deal.

It brings to an end a spell with the Hatters where he has shown flashes of mercurial brilliance, interrupted too often by persistent injuries.

Powell and County call time on injury-laden spell

It was all but certain that County fans had seen the last of Powell when he wasn’t given a squad number for the season, but it was confirmed by Challinor, stating that the club are in talks with Powell about his exit.

He was signed on a free transfer following his release from Stoke City in 2023, and penned a three-year deal, of which there is still a year to run.

Challinor stated that all parties are working hard to find a resolution for Powell, but didn’t provide details on whether that was regarding a settlement on the remainder of his deal or finding a new club.

The Hatters’ record signing, Malik Mothersille from Peterborough United, has taken the no.11 shirt that Powell has worn for the past two seasons.

Powell was one of the most nationally recognised names to sign for County in recent years – once called an exceptional talent when Sir Alex Ferguson signed him from Crewe Alexandra as a teenager – so he arrived at Edgeley Park with plenty of fanfare.

His drop from the Championship to League Two in that move was likely only possible on account of his difficult injury record, and it was that same problem which has stopped him unleashing his full potential in SK3.

He certainly didn’t suffer from a lack of talent; his passing range and vision unrivalled at this level, nor did he lack effort, even putting in cover shifts as a holding midfielder at times when required, to surprising success.

But, simply put, County fans just did not get to see enough of the 31-year-old on the pitch due to injury, especially when taking into account that he is likely near the top of the club’s wage structure.

It’s through no fault of Powell’s, who no doubt left no stone unturned in trying to stay fit and avoid injury, but it is nonetheless frustrating that fans were prevented from seeing one of the squad’s most talented players so frequently.

Having managed just seven league games last term, down from 32 the season before, it’s easy to see why the club are calling time early.

Powell will leave Edgeley Park with one important legacy

However, those 32 appearances will be Powell’s crowning glory in a County shirt, as it coincided with the season that the Hatters lifted the League Two title and earned their spot in the third tier.

His contribution to that success should not be underestimated.

Although his four goal involvements don’t jump off the page when looking at a spreadsheet, he was so often the deep-lying creator, turning defence into attack with a killer pass.

And when he wasn’t doing that, he was using his reading of the game to do the less glamorous side of the job; winning aerial duels, intercepting passes and interrupting opposition attacks, an under-appreciated side of his profile that was brought out in those shifts covering for the likes of Ryan Croasdale.

Powell should be leaving County with more than 45 appearances to his name, and almost certainly would be were it not for injuries, but the Hatters are right to not continue paying the wages of a player they can’t use.

The midfielder gave it his best when he could and showed his talent, but ultimately, through no fault of his own, will leave fans wishing they’d been able to see more.