Manchester City have had something of an academy clearout on transfer deadline day, with four players leaving the club permanently.
City announced the arrival of Julian Alvarez on the final day of the transfer window, with the main focus being to secure any loan moves for young players or those on their books and those still under contract but not needed by the academy or first team.
One of those players, Wales international Matt Smith, has left the club permanently after eight years and five loans to join MK Dons.
Smith, 22, joins MK Dons for an undisclosed fee after 55 appearances for City at academy level and 112 senior appearances for his loan clubs as well as 15 caps for Wales. He was used by City in pre-season while most of the first team were still at Euro 2020, before joining Hull on loan in the Championship.
Now recalled from that loan to join MK Dons, he said: “It was time for me to move on away from City and I don’t think I could have found a better Club to join. The facilities here are fantastic and the players and staff seem fantastic too. There is a real project going on here and I wanted to be a part of that."
Smith's development at City was cited by MK Dons Sporting Director Liam Sweeting, who said: “Matt has excellent pedigree having been signed by Man City at a young age and has developed into a senior Wales International. He will bring control, creativity and a strong understanding of the way we want the team to function."
Head coach Liam Manning added: "He is well suited to the way we like to play football, given his upbringing at Manchester City, and is a full Wales international which just highlights the quality he possesses."
Meanwhile, Luke Bolton has also left permanently as he joined local side Salford City in League Two. Bolton, 22, has been sporadically used by the academy this season after failing to secure a loan away in the summer.
The winger had previously had spells at Wycombe, Luton and Dundee United, and said he aims to help the ambitious Ammies gain promotion after signing a two-year deal.
He said: “It just seems right; I was coming to the end of my contract at Man City and I just really need to go and play men’s football consistently and be part of something properly, instead of a few loans here and there. When you sign for a club that’s your everything then.
“I like to get at people, get crosses into the box, probably need to add a few more goals to my game. I want to try and help Salford get to the Championship hopefully, obviously we need to get out of League Two first but I’m an ambitious man, I like to think I’ll only keep getting better so hopefully as I keep getting better Salford will as well."
Defender Sammy Robinson, who has had awful luck with injuries in the last year or so, is another to leave permanently, joining Port Vale in League Two.
The popular defender signs an initial 18-month deal at Vale Park, with Vale Director of Football David Flitcroft confirming City have a sell-on clause as part of the deal.
He said: "It's important that a club like Port Vale make relationships with the top clubs in the country, we know a lot of good people within the environment at Man City, Brian Barry-Murphy, Jason Wilcox and Fergal Harkin [are] three guys who know the level and understand what it takes to be a footballer in the Football League, I'd personally like to thank all three of them for making this happen.
"If fans have watched Under-23s football, he is different from the norm, he is different to most of the level and most of the players who play at that level.
"He's a player that is almost like a throwback to an old pro, he's got a real aggression to him, a real desire and a real motivation to do the other side of the game as well as being technically brilliant, he has learnt that from the environment he is from, he gives you so much more as a player and there's a lot of depth to him as a person.
"Manchester City have opted to include a sell-on clause, which shows that they have the belief that the player has the ability to do well and make a name for himself."
Meanwhile, fellow defender Camron Gbadebo has signed for relegation battlers Colchester on a permanent deal until the end of the season.
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