Luke Varney completed a £2 million move to Championship side Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2007 after a superb season in front of goal for the Railwaymen. Varney hit 25 goals in just 42 appearances to make him hot property and was named in the PFA League One Team of the Year, alongside his fellow Crewe team-mate Jon Otsemobor.
His progress during the 2006/07 season was even more remarkable when you consider that he didn't actually begin the season in the starting eleven and then he missed a number of games at the end of the campaign after breaking a bone in his foot in March! Varney's impressive goal tally included a goal against Manchester United in the Carling Cup third round and his first senior hat-trick in a thrilling 4-2 Johnstone's Paint Trophy victory at Chesterfield.
The talented by raw forward arrived at Gresty Road in March 2003 from non-league outfit Quorn FC for a nominal fee after impressing Assistant Manager Neil Baker.
The Leicester born player scored 25 goals for the non-leaguers in the Midland Alliance League before being snapped up by the Alex on transfer deadline day of that year as Dario Gradi looked to invest in the youngsters potential.
Although he didn't feature in the first team that season, the Alex coaching staff worked hard to channel Varney's raw talent over the following summer and he found his way into the squad for the opening game of the 2003/04 season at Wimbledon where he made his debut as a second half substitute.
Luke continued to progress throughout the season and his exceptional pace and close skills kept him around Dario's team until he made his full debut against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in December. Varney marked that game with a very well taken goal in a 3-1 win and went on to make 10 appearances until a shoulder injury curtailed his season in January.
Varney joined Charlton in the summer of 2007 and went on to score 10 league goals in just 39 starts before securing a dream move to Derby County during the January window of 2009 after a successful loan spell. The arrival of Nigel Clough saw Varney briefly move out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday, where he scored a further two goals in just three starts.
Although the Leicester born forward made an initial return to Pride Park, he was soon back in Sheffield for another loan spell, staying with the Owls until the end of the 2009/10 season. Despite his goal form, he couldn't prevent a relegation to League One for Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the season and he once again returned to Derby County.
Varney would get an unexpected dream move to the Premier League in the following season with Blackpool. The likeable forward would score five times for Blackpool, including a goal in their stunning 2-1 win at Liverpool, but wasn't able to help the Seasiders move to secure Premier League safety.
After his loan spell expired at Derby, Varney moved south to Portsmouth and will be out to fire Pompey to the Premier League again in his first season at Fratton Park.
