League Two side AFC Wimbledon look set to bring in young talent James Furlong on loan from Championship Hull City, according to Football Insider.
AFC Wimbledon, managed for a third consecutive season by former Charlton Athletic midfielder Johnnie Jackson, look set to try and improve on last season’s 10th place finish and give the Wombles supporters a chance to dream of a return to the third tier of English football, after a few seasons away.
So far this summer, it’s been a decent transfer window for the Dons and despite the departures of experienced players from last season, such as Ronan Curtis (who left to join League Two side Port Vale), Armani Little (who has joined League Two side Gillingham) and Nik Tzanev (who has decided to join League One side Northampton Town), they have brought in a wealth of experience, such as Stockport County winger Myles Hippolyte, Mansfield Town’s John-Joe O’Toole and goalkeeper Lewis Ward from Charlton Athletic, alongside a range of exceptional loan deals, with Alistair Smith, Joe Pigott and Owen Goodman arriving from Lincoln City, Leyton Orient and Crystal Palace respectively.
However, their summer business looks set to continue, as James Furlong, one of the Tigers’ young talents for the future, is set to debut on loan this season at AFC Wimbledon in front of the Plough Lane crowd in League Two.
James Furlong – An Exciting Irish Prospect
He made his senior football debut at Irish giants Shamrock Rovers back in 2019, aged just 16. Before the start of the infamous 2019-20 season in English football, he would be signed by Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion, where during that time, he would only make one senior appearance in a League Cup fixture off the bench in the 85th minute against National League side Forest Green Rovers.
In January 2023, he would sign on loan for Scottish football icons Motherwell for the remainder of the 2022-23 season and he would make eleven appearances during the regular season, alongside a further five appearances in the relegation round of the Scottish Premiership season. He signed for Championship Hull City back in summer 2023 and this upcoming loan spell is set to be his first since signing for the Tigers.
He is a quick and direct fullback, who’s great on the overlap and stretches down the channels fluently and effectively. His gametime with the Tigers, in terms of senior football, has lacked partly due to previous injury problems and gametime selection issues, however, when fully fit, he can offer quite a bit for any side.
Whilst on loan at Motherwell, he achieved in total a 61.5% successful dribble percentage, alongside a 57% duels win rate and also winning 30 tackles. He’s a strong and agile fullback who can truly develop, if given the right development in training and the right amount of gametime on matchdays.
AFC Wimbledon NEEDED A Left Back!
Johnnie Jackson has got this signing spot on, in my opinion. Yes, it does feel like a gamble, given the previous injury spells he’s had beforehand and the lack of gametime at Hull City, compared to other potential targets in that position that he may be after. However, as a manager, sometimes, you must take a gamble every now and then, if you are completely confident in a positive end result for this situation.
James Furlong demonstrates certain skills and traits to make this signing a positive step forward for the Dons transfer window and they can continue in this fashion, I can’t see why AFC Wimbledon cannot have a strong campaign this season in the fourth tier of English football.