In a recent report, The Telegraph stated that Newcastle United are set to recruit Matthew Bondswell on a free transfer after he decided to leave Red Bull Leipzig and return to England. It is believed that the Magpies have beaten West Ham United and Leeds United in the race to land the English prospect, with an agreement now in place for the player to seal a move to St. James’ Park (via The Telegraph).
Bondswell’s Young Career At A Glance
Bondswell began his youth career at Nottingham Forest before moving on to join Red Bull Leipzig back in 2018. The 18-year-old has come through the youth ranks of the German club but never managed to feature for their first-team.
Julian Nagelsmann decided to loan him out to FC Dordrecht at the start of this campaign, but the youngster failed to give a good account of himself due to injury. Bondswell has missed several matches this season because of a knock, so maybe he could benefit from making a fresh start by returning to his homeland and joining the Magpies as a free agent soon.
The Nottingham-born needs to earn regular playing minutes if he wants to improve and become a first-team starter someday. However, he will struggle to get into Steve Bruce’s first-team at the moment as he is still not experienced enough to rival Jamal Lewis for a regular starting spot at Tyneside.
What Are The English Youngster’s Best Attributes?
Bondswell has electric pace in his locker that allows him to make some dangerous dashes with the ball down the left-wing. He is an explosive left-back who loves to attack but can be found out defensively. Still, there is no denying that the English whizkid has the potential to become one of the best players in his position someday. For that to happen, he will have to develop a strong upper-body and work on becoming a reliable presence at the back so that he is not a liability on the defensive end of the pitch.
Will Bondswell Be A Signing For The Long-Run?
Right now, Bondswell is not good enough to feature for Bruce’s senior side, but with time, he could grow into a future star at St. James’ Park as long as he is given a nurturing environment to work on his game and unlock his true potential.
With all things considered, Bondswell could be a good long-term signing for the Magpies due to his availability on a free transfer. Even if things don’t go according to plan, the Magpies could still make a decent profit in the future as he will have a good resale value in the long-run.
