Gillingham hijacking Bradford City deal was successful after agreeing terms with the ace
Sometimes, clubs chase a player, invite him to the city, pay for his accommodation, and, ultimately, the player may still not sign for the club. Bradford City experienced this last season.
Midfielder Jonny Williams was believed to be signing for the Bantams before deciding at the last minute to drive down south to Kent and sign for Gillingham FC. This surprised those at Bradford, who were sure that Williams was signing for the club.
Let’s take a closer look at the transfer that eventually didn’t happen and how it impacted both clubs over the previous season.
Jonny Williams was very close to joining Bradford City
The former Welsh international was believed to have been extremely close to signing terms at Valley Parade for the 2023 -2024 EFL season.
Bradford was actually preparing to unveil Williams later that day. The club and the player had apparently agreed terms when they were informed that the deal was off and Williams would sign for Gillingham instead.
Although it is believed that the Bantams had offered Williams a lucrative three-year deal at the club on wages that were much improved compared to the terms the midfielder had at Swindon Town, it seems that American-owned Gillingham, who have splashed the cash in recent years, likely offered Williams even better terms, and that is why he chose to go there instead.
Despite losing out on Williams, the Bantams brought in midfielders Alex Pattison and Kevin McDonald, which is likely that McDonald might not have joined the club had Williams signed.
Losing Jonny Williams didn’t really hurt the Bantams
Although, at the time, the prospect of signing Williams was something that fans were unhappy about missing out on due to the experience and pedigree of the former international footballer, who was an unused substitute at the FIFA World Cup 2022 for Wales, could have been a big coup for the club.
The versatile player had contributed 15 goals with 10 assists in 84 games for Swindon Town and can play anywhere across the midfield and even in more advanced attacking positions, all of which he was used in during his time with the Robins.
However, regarding goal contributions, last season was one to forget for Williams. He only managed one goal and two assists for Gillingham despite making 49 appearances for the xx, which could be seen as a disappointing return for a player with his CV.
Despite injuries to Alex Pattison, which saw him miss most of the season for the Bantams, in hindsight, it would be hard to see where Williams would fit into the side. Bobby Pointon and Jamie Walker play in a similar position, and current captain Ritchie Smallwood occupies that more defensive midfield position.
Although midfield options were lacking throughout the season, with even centre-back Sam Stubbs appearing as a midfielder for one game, it would be hard to say that the club missed out on signing Williams. What Bradford saved in wages probably outweighs the midfielder’s lack of significant goal contributions last season for Gillingham.
