One of the most talked about players in the EFL this January transfer window has been Bradford City striker Jake Young.
Despite that he is a Bradford player, Young has applied his trade elsewhere this season through a loan with fellow League Two side Swindon Town. It would be with the Robins where the striker would really make his name, racking up 20 goals and a further four assists in just 25 games this season.
As a result Bradford recalled Young from his loan spell more or less as soon as they could once the January window had opened. Since his return to Valley Parade, Young is yet to play for the Bantams and his future at the club does somewhat seem up in the air.
As recently as last week, Bradford manager Graham Alexander stated that Jake Young was “not a player we are looking to sell.” However it is becoming ever-increasingly more likely that the striker does move this January, with plenty of murmurs of a potential move to League One.
One club that is already out of the running, is Michael Flynn’s Swindon Town. Despite showing so much progress during his time under Flynn, Young will not be returning to the County Ground for the second half of the season.
His former manager stated that there would be “no chance” of the striker returning to the club and would then go onto say:
“I would say that if Jake Young goes then it is going to be to a high-end League One or Championship club because of the money involved.”
Flynn’s thoughts are echoed by many EFL pundits, with Young seemingly destined to make a move to League One or maybe even the Championship.
With that in mind, here are five potential transfer destinations for Jake Young this January…
With the second-lowest amount of goals in League One this season, it would come as no surprise to see Exeter in the market for a striker this January. Although they have recalled 19-year-old Sonny Cox from Yeovil Town, which has come with some success, the club are still crying out for a senior, proven striker in their ranks.
The Grecians have been one of the clubs that are rumoured to be interested in Young, and rightly so given his goalscoring exploits. It would be one that makes a lot of sense, especially given Exeter’s proximity to the relegation zone. A swoop for Young would show the fellow relegation-threatened teams around them their power, and may do enough to keep them in League One, which is ultimately the only objective now this season for Caldwell.
Probably the team that Bradford fans would least like Young to go to would be Paul Simpson’s Carlisle United. Having beaten the Bantams in the play-offs last season there does still seem to be some bad blood between the two sets of fans. That said bad blood was on show earlier in the week when Carlisle announced the signing of Bradford goalkeeper Harry Lewis.
With new American owners, Carlisle have seen a huge boost in their transfer funds which has seen them sign the likes of Lewis, Luke Armstrong and Harrison Neal this January and their could still be more to come. A move for Young isn’t totally out of question however having already signed a striker in Luke Armstrong this January that could potentially hinder the possibility. That being said, with the Cumbrians six points from safety, they need all the help they can get.
From a team near the bottom of the table, to the table-toppers, Portsmouth could do with a player like Young in their ranks. Though they may have Colby Bishop, if anything was to happen to the striker they do look a tiny bit thin in that position, especially with Kusini Yengi on Asian Cup duty with Australia currently.
The league leaders have hit somewhat of a flat spot in recent weeks and are seriously at risk of being knocked off of the top, and even out of the automatic positions. Signing Young could be the spark that the squad needs to get back to their best. Portsmouth may prioritise other positions this January, but a move for the 22-year-old could still easily happen.
A step-up from League Two straight to the Championship is obviously a big one, but given his goalscoring exploits for Swindon, it could be one that he takes in his stride. New Potters boss Steven Schumacher is best-known for his development of players and he could get the best out of Young.
Having scored just 25 goals in their opening 26 games and their top goalscorer being winger André Vidigal on just five goals, the forward areas are an obvious position which Stoke need to improve. They’ll have no problem affording Young either and as former boss Flynn stated, he wouldn’t look out of place in a Championship side.
Despite being linked with a move for Peterborough United striker Jonson Clarke-Harris all window, a deal is still yet to materialise. Although the Addicks already have the ultra-prolific Alfie May in their ranks, it seems that the club want another striker to support their talisman as well as to step-up in case of of injury.
The longer that Charlton go without signing Clarke-Harris, the likelier it is that they make a move for Young. It would by no means be a last resort move given his quality and Young has the potential to flourish alongside League One’s best striker over the last few seasons. A move to the Addicks purely depends on whether they sign Clarke-Harris or not, if the Jamaican was to sign, there would be no chance that Young would also make the move to the capital.
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