The four young players who could save Blackpool time and money in the summer transfer window

Like many teams, Blackpool will be hoping for a big few months in order to bolster their squad for the 2024/25 campaign.

Marvin Ekpiteta, Callum Connolly, Matty Virtue and Shayne Lavery have all departed Bloomfield Road following the conclusion of their contracts, leaving a number of gaps in the Seasiders squad.

Neil Critchley’s side will need to make smart signings in order to improve on their eighth place finish in League One last season, but some of the solutions may already be at the club.

Here’s four young players that could save the club time and money this summer:

Rob Apter

This is probably the most obvious answer, but Rob Apter looks set to have a big year in Tangerine and is very much someone the club should be looking to build around.

Throughout the last few seasons, the 21-year-old has worked his way up the leagues through various loan spells. Stints with Bamber Bridge, Chester and Scunthorpe all came before his successful campaign with Tranmere Rovers.

During his time at Prenton Park, the midfielder scored 13 goals and provided six assists in 43 appearances, as he was named League Two’s Young Player of the Season.

With 81 senior outings already under his belt, now is the right time for Apter to step into the fold at Blackpool.

Ryan Finnigan

Ryan Finnigan was one of two winter signings that are yet to make their senior debuts for the Seasiders.

Pre-season is going to be huge for the 20-year-old, after he missed the majority of the last campaign through injury, with a loan spell with Shrewsbury Town cut short last September.

The midfielder, who came through the Southampton youth system, has just 20 senior games under his belt, and may initially benefit from featuring in cup games or even a short loan spell away from Bloomfield Road.

Nonetheless, he is a player that Critchley rates for the future, and could perhaps prove to be a solid option in the centre of the park.

Dan Sassi

Dan Sassi is in a similar position, with his 10 senior appearances coming during his loan spell with Rochdale after his move to Bloomfield Road from Burnley.

His time with Clarets was mainly spent with the various youth teams so may not immediately be ready to step into the Blackpool first team.

Once again, only time will tell what level the 20-year-old is at, and whether he will be seen as a solid defensive option for the Seasiders.

Kylian Kouassi

Blackpool were short of goals last season in the absence of Jordan Rhodes, with Kylian Kouassi being among the strikers who just couldn’t get firing.

The 20-year-old arrived at Bloomfield Road from Sutton United last summer, and there were certainly snippets of what he can do.

In his early outings in Tangerine, he demonstrated the threat his physical presence can cause teams and stood out on a couple of occasions.

A hamstring injury in November set him back, and he didn’t really look up to speed after that, but with time now to recover and a full pre-season under his belt, perhaps Kouassi could find some consistency.