Port Vale manager Micky Adams knows he faces a battle to hold on to his key players for next season.
Vale boss aware his players will attract interest from other clubs
Port Vale manager Micky Adams knows he faces a battle to hold on to his key players for next season, as his side close in on the play-off places.
The Valiants are now just five points off the top seven after picking up maximum points from their Easter double-header and their performances have not gone unnoticed.
Former Leicester and Brighton boss Adams admits Vale will struggle to hang on to the likes of top scorer Marc Richards this summer.
Richards is out of contract at the end of the season and has expressed a desire to stay, but Adams would not be surprised if other clubs show an interest in the striker.
"The players aren't daft," Adams told
skysports.com. "Marc Richards has scored 20 goals this season. Do you think people have noticed that?
"That is the way it goes unfortunately. I inherited some good players here when I took the reins, but a lot of clubs are looking at them now because they are playing a lot better than they did last season.
"We will face an uphill battle to keep some of them though.
"We want to keep some of them here and we've started the process of talking to the players and their agents and discussing terms, but because it is so late in the season we face an uphill task to keep them due to the finances of the football club.
"Clubs are taking more of a look at our players now, but that is the price of success."
