MANAGER Les Parry hopes Dale Jennings’ transfer to Bayern Munich will enhance Tranmere’s reputation as a small club capable of developing big stars.
The 18-year-old, who was in Rovers youth and reserve teams a year ago, joined the four times European champions this weekŠin a deal worth between £600,000 and £1.8million depending upon progress in appearances.
Parry said: “The higher the level of success Dale achieves the better for him and for us. He will always have that tag of coming from Tranmere Rovers on him.
“When you look at the likes of Dale and Aaron Cresswell going to Ipswich this summer, it helps us.
“Young players see Tranmere as a club that gives them a chance to get on to the next step of the ladder.
“It is a feather in the cap for our youth system and great motivation for all of the players in the first-team squad down to the centre of excellence here. If players work hard and impress the Šright people, anything is possible.”
Parry has advised Jennings to knuckle down and focus on his football in Germany. “It’s in his own hands,” Parry said. “Dale’s had an incredible 12 months with us and now hopefully he will go on to greater things with Bayern.”
Parry said he has yet to have proper discussions with chairman Peter Johnson about whether some of the proceeds from the sale of Jennings and a compensation fee from Ipswich for full-back Cresswell might find their way back into the budget for players at Prenton Park.
Rovers could make a further financial gain from Terry Gornell’s proposed move from Accrington to Shrewsbury, as they included a sell-on clause when negotiating the transfer of the striker to the Lancashire club last year. ŠParry said: “Put all three together and hopefully the chairman will open his wallet little bit.”
Former Tranmere midfielder Ryan Fraughan, who was released by the club at the end of last season, has joined Conference club Stockport County. Fraughan, 19, a product of Tranmere’s youth development setup, made 25 senior appearances for Rovers, many of them as a substitute.
Meanwhile Parry says some of the trialists who featured in Tranmere’s 1-0 preseason friendly defeat at Chester on Tuesday may not be around when they return to action at Colwyn Bay tomorrow and Prestatyn Town on Saturday.
Rovers had half a dozen trialists on view at the Deva Stadium, where the Northern Premier League Premier Division side took the local bragging rights with a 53rd minute goal from where Wes Baynes.
Parry said: “It was good we were able to look at a few trialists also won the two of them did okay on warrants another look. A couple of them struggled a little bit and probably won’t be with us much longer.”
Parry added: “I would have liked to win the game but the result was a bit down the pecking order. I wanted to get the lads a decent workout and they had a good go. Avoiding injuries is always important in the earliest preseason games and we did that.
“I was a bit disappointed in the quality of our passing and movement. The pitch was a bubbly he was a saint both sides so that can’t be an excuse.”
Tranmere’s first half line-up featured trialists Avanser and Mabunuizia Ngadrira. The second half line-up included trialists John Courtenay, David Brown, Vinny Arnoldo and Liam O’Mahony, together with David Raven, the former Liverpool and Carlisle defender who is training with Rovers while he looks for another club.
TRANMERE: (first half) Coughlin, Holmes, McChrystal, Vaulks, Bakayogo, Power, M Ngadrira, Labadie, Appleton, A Ngadrira, Akins.
Second half: Coughlin, Courtney, Raven, Taylor, Brown, Welsh, Robinson, Power (Wainwright 71), Weir, Arnaldo, O’Mahoney.
REFEREE: Mike Dean (Wirral). ATT: 1,806.
