Former promotion winners among out-of-contract ex-Cobblers training with the PFA this week
Several out-of-contract ex-Cobblers are training with the Professional Footballers’ Association this week, including two Wembley heroes and a couple that left only a few months ago.
Ryan Watson and Callum Morton, who both scored in Northampton’s play-off final win over Exeter City in 2020, were released by Salford City at the end of last season and this week they’ve joined nearly 50 other free agents training with the PFA.
Watson was named Town’s Player of the Season in 2020/21 before departing for Tranmere Rovers while Morton rejoined Cobblers on loan last summer, only for his season to be ruined by an ACL injury sustained at Wrexham in the autumn.
Ali Koiki and Akin Odimayo, who were members of Jon Brady’s promotion-winning squad in 2023, are also with the PFA this week. Koiki spent some time on trial at Cheltenham in pre-season and has been linked with several League Two clubs. Kazenga Lualua, one-time trialist at Sixfields, is another player joining the group of free agents.
Following their success last summer, the PFA is again running a pre-season training camp for free agents, offering a structured training environment to help unsigned, out-of-contract PFA players stay in shape and potentially secure new deals with clubs. The 10-week programme, fully funded by the PFA, started at the end of June and runs through until September.
Full list of players training with the PFA this week:
Rolando Aarons
Hakeeb Adelakun
Paul Appiah
Britt Assombalonga
Charlie Binns
Jamal Blackman
Fabio Borini
James Brown
Jaden Brown
Mustapha Carayol
Mackenzie Chapman
Isaac Christie-Davies
Billy Crellin
Jordan Davies
Declan Drysdale
Mandela Egbo
Anthony Forde
Hubert Graczyk
Reece Hall
Harley Hamilton
Nathan Harvey
Jermaine Hylton
Kyle Jameson
Saikou Janneh
Tyreece John-Jules
Ali Koiki
Kazenga LuaLua
Chris Maguire
Aiden Marsh
Liam McCarron
Dylan McGeouch
Ravel Morrison
Callum Morton
Akin Odimayo
Jubril Okedina
Olufela Olomola
Cian Philpott
Josh Shaw
Ben Stevenson
Anthony Stewart
George Thomas
Tariq Uwakewe
Jack Vale
Grant Ward
Ryan Watson
Connor Wickham
Connor Wood
Jack Young