Port Vale used deadline day to add two season-long attacking loans after a slow start to the 2025-26 season. Keyrol Figueroa has joined from Liverpool, while Maleace Asamoah arrives from Wigan. Port Vale have only two points from their opening three league matches, and the new arrivals take the club to 13 summer signings.
The new attacking options
Brady described Figueroa as coming from an "outstanding football environment" at Liverpool and said he has "a really exciting attacking profile." He also said: "He's quick, direct and dynamic, with a real desire to threaten defenders and play on the front foot."
The appeal is obvious enough. Figueroa is 20, and Brady's comments point to a forward who can stretch play and attack space, while Asamoah is 23 and brings a little more league exposure. Brady called Asamoah "a quick and powerful player" who is suited to the left wing but can also play through the middle.
Asamoah's record at Wigan gives Vale something immediate to work with. He has made 47 appearances for the club, including 36 in League One, and Brady said he has "played quite a few games at League One level".
What the move says about Vale's start
The loans do not hide the fact that Vale have started slowly. Two points from three league games is not where the club wanted to be, so adding two more attackers on deadline day is a clear attempt to lift the level of the squad without waiting for the market to settle.
There is also a development angle here. Figueroa has been in Liverpool's academy since joining from FC Dallas in 2018, and he earned his first full senior cap for Honduras in a friendly against Argentina in June. Those details do not make him a finished article, but they do show why Vale are willing to bring him in now.
Asamoah, by contrast, gives Brady a player who has already seen a fair bit of League One football. Vale have added depth, pace and different ways to attack, and the two loans will be judged quickly once the matches start coming around again.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
