Grimsby to have key man available for Cobblers clash despite transfer to Luton Town

Grimsby Town will have star man John McAtee available for Saturday’s League Two fixture with Northampton despite his transfer to Luton Town this week.

The 23-year-old, who starred for the Mariners in their promotion-winning National League campaign last year, has been at the centre of speculation throughout the summer and his move to the Championship was confirmed on Tuesday morning.

However, as part of the agreement, McAtee will be loaned back to Grimsby for the rest of the 2022/23 season.

Grimsby chairman Jason Stockwood said: “We obviously really wanted to keep John at Grimsby Town and we offered him a new deal in the close season to get him on a longer contract. But John has ambitions to play at a higher level and we respect that and didn’t want to stand in his way. We knew there was a good chance we’d probably end up losing John on a free at the end of the season, and so at least by letting him go now, the Club has been able to benefit from his transfer.

“Also, we are delighted that Luton Town have agreed to loan him back to us for the rest of the season, so we’ll still get to see John wearing the black and white shirt for a little while longer. That was a big incentive for us to agree to the transfer. John’s performances last season have made him a favourite with the fans and we are delighted to be able to build on that during this campaign.”