We have completed the signing of Port Vale goalkeeper Aidan Stone on a free transfer.
The 23-year-old signs a two-year deal after playing a crucial role in the Valiants’ promotion from League Two in 2021-22 before making 26 appearances for them last season.
And our board of directors are pleased to welcome a goalkeeper with a blend of excellent first-team experience and considerable potential.
A statement reads: “When looking for a goalkeeper, we have to consider a number of important factors.
“It’s crucial that the player is comfortable on the ball and able to distribute well with both feet, while they must also be adept at playing high up the pitch and defending the space behind our back line.
“Aidan has the attributes to do all that, as well as the willingness to engage in what will be an extensive learning process as he adapts to the unique way we want him to play.
“The opportunity to bring him in ahead of pre-season was therefore very important to us, as it ensures he will have maximum time to prepare.
“He benefitted hugely from a spell at Burnley as a youngster, where he enjoyed a brilliant footballing education thanks to regular training alongside Nick Pope, Tom Heaton and Joe Hart.
“Aidan has gone on to make more than 80 senior appearances, all with EFL clubs, and has a League Two promotion to his name. Despite his young age, he therefore has excellent experience to draw on.
“Competing with Sam Slocombe, this is now his opportunity to cement his position as a first-choice goalkeeper at a club which we believe is an excellent fit for him.
“He arrives with a point to prove and we’re very confident he’ll do just that.”
The Stafford-born stopper was a latecomer to goalkeeping having played in defence as a youngster before making the switch in his mid-teens.
His performances at local level earned him a call-up to England Schoolboys, which then led to him signing for Burnley as back-up to England internationals Pope, Heaton and Hart.
Stone then seized the opportunity to play men’s football with a move to Mansfield following an impressive trial ahead of the 2019-20 season, going on to make his EFL debut and furthering his experience with a loan at Widnes.
The following campaign saw him claim 21 League Two appearances for the Stags, impressing sufficiently to earn a switch to Port Vale at the end of his contract.
It proved to be a magnificent move as he nailed down a first-team place towards the end of a campaign which concluded with him keeping a clean sheet in Vale’s play-off final victory over his previous employers, having saved three penalties in Vale’s semi-final shootout victory over Swindon.
His promising performances and play-off heroics saw him named the Valiants’ Young Player of the Season and he continued his progress in League One in 2022-23, making 20 league appearances as the Staffordshire side consolidated their position in the third tier.
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