Newport County camp issue message on ex-Man City and Swansea player as signing possibility lingers | OneFootball

After an unimpressive start to the season, Newport County sit towards the bottom end of the League Two table in 18th place. The Exiles’ boss, Graham Coughlan, has not eliminated a bold bid to sign ex-Manchester City striker Wilfred Bony.

Newport have treated Bony with all the respect and gratitude that he deserves, letting him be a part of their training sessions since 2019, when Bony has been uncommitted to any club.

During Newport’s development squad friendly against Swindon Town, Bony netted an 87th-minute winner to see off Swindon 2-1. Coughlan remains optimistic that Newport will be able to sign the ex-Man City man, a move that would undoubtedly be one of the most significant for Newport fans.

Settling at a new club can be very difficult, but Coughlan has made it clear that Bony wouldn’t require any settling in time; he’s already in Newport’s building, working with all the staff and players, and using all of their training facilities.

Bony’s brilliance was expressed when Coughlan said via the BBC: “We’ve offered Wilf the use of the training facilities, and he has been different class. He’s been a great lad. His knowledge and his experience around the place have been brilliant with the young lads.”

Coughlan explained the reasoning behind Bony’s start vs. Swindon, and the reason was to encourage and teach the young lads using his vast experience of the game. Coughlan believed that his presence would benefit the younger players on the field, especially with his knowledge and expertise.

It’s easy to see that Bony’s footballing life isn’t going according to plan after he was released from Al Ittihad and spending the second half of the season at NEC Nijmegen after spending over a year without a club.

Having settled in Wales through his time at Swansea City, Newport seems like the perfect place for him to keep his football skills up to par and work on his fitness levels. Joining the club informally in 2019, the 48-year-old manager is the third manager to have welcomed Bony into the team.

Along with Coughlan, Newport defender, Scot Bennett was full of praise for Bony. He explained via the BBC: “He comes to all the home games and watches; he gives us motivation in the dressing room, and he’s doing it all for free.

“He gives really good advice, and that can only benefit us; he works hard with our strikers.

“You can see he’s still got the qualities, so if we could sign him, it would only benefit us.”

While Coughlan believes that Bony has what it takes to thrive in League Two, he’s admitted that his fitness levels would have to improve if he were to sign for Newport.

“He would have to work on his fitness if he wanted to join us,” he told the BBC, “but I am not going to sit here and say the door is shut. His touch is different class, his hold-up play is different class.”

The Verdict

While many Newport fans would be delighted with the signature of Wilfred Bony, nothing is a certainty yet. It goes without saying that Bony could work wonders for Newport, provided his fitness levels improve.

It seems the 33-year-old is enjoying his time at Newport and seems very settled despite the fact that he has no contract with the club. Bony could be the building blocks that Newport needs in order to work their way up the League Two table.

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1. Where did Newport finish in League Two last season?

13th 11th 9th 7th