Reading FC deal left many AFC Wimbledon supporters bewildered: View | OneFootball

Nesta Guinness-Walker's move to Reading FC was certainly a startling move in 2022, and puzzling for many fans questioning his quality

AFC Wimbledon's bugbear throughout this summer's transfer window has been filling the left wing-back spot, and with not much time left to sort out some backup for current first-choice James Furlong, there is sure to be some head-scratching.

However, had a young prospect by the name of Nesta Guinness-Walker either come later than his 2019 arrival or not departed in 2022, then maybe the club would not be in the position they currently find themselves in.

Understandably, he was moved on by the new manager at the time, Johnnie Jackson, due to not being part of his plans, and his release from the club enabled Jack Currie to break through, but he still could have been a good player to have at the club had he been coached and developed properly.

His struggles with the Dons as well as a lack of any progressive development meant that it was baffling to many surrounding Wimbledon that he was picked up by then-Championship outfit Reading, and given plenty of game time too.

Guinness-Walker arrived at Wimbledon with a lot of promise. The left-sided defender had spent some of his youth on the books of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, but it was at Met Police FC where he came to prominence and put together impressive enough form for the Dons to take a chance on the youngster following a trial at the club.

At the time, the club were under the guidance of Wally Downes and, having performed heroics in a dramatic relegation battle in the season before, he was looking to add flair and youth to a side packed with experience.

Guinness-Walker was one of only four permanent arrivals during the summer of 2019, signifying that the Dons were prepared to give him a chance and were hoping that he could really kick on and make strides in his development while playing EFL football.

However, despite left-back being his more natural position, in which he struck his first goal for the club against Ipswich Town, he never looked great in Downes' system. Typically, he would either be venturing too far upfield or not performing well enough when tasked with defensive duties, often being muscled out of tackles far too easily.

It was hoped then that the subsequent arrival of Glyn Hodges may boost Guinness-Walker's confidence within his game and help the then-20-year-old find his feet in the team and his own personal skillset. However, watching Hodges' football and Guinness-Walker playing as an out-and-out left-back was a painful sight for many and led to a lot of frustration.

He did have his moments and look like a player with potential but his subsequent season following Wimbledon's slim survival yet again was even less exciting and left many feeling that he just had not been coached well enough for his talents to truly shine at Plough Lane.

Nesta Guinness Walker's move to Reading left many in shock

With those two average seasons under his belt, where, across his 97 appearances, he had only scored three times, it was a shock to many fans that he joined the Royals, who at the time, were in the Championship and trying to kick on despite ownership troubles.

It was even more of a shock to see the now 24-year-old make 36 appearances across the Championship season and get an extension triggered in his contract, keeping him at Reading for an extra year, even if half of that extra year was then spent out on loan at Stevenage.

This was a player that had been ousted by the diminutive Paul Osew during his first campaign, despite only just signing, and in his second year at the club, had failed to show any particularly great form, especially for a Championship club to then come sniffing about and giving the opportunity of a trial.

Many fans across social media felt that it must have been a miracle worked by his agent, but however he gained his move to the Royals, there could be a question asked about whether Wimbledon might have served his development better.

When Guinness-Walker left, the club had just been relegated from League One and, to be fair to the youngster, did not seem as nearly as promising as Reading in terms of a project. However, with Jackson later announced at the helm during that summer, perhaps he could have stayed on and developed better than he did for the Royals.

While the new did not play a formation that would have seen Guinness-Walker do any better than he had done beforehand, in both 23/24, and now, in 24/25, it seems that the manager is finally favouring a formation that puts a lot of emphasis on getting wing-backs involved in everything the team does, and Guinness-Walker could have been perfect in this system.

He would have surely developed enough defensive nous by this stage to no longer be a concern when it comes to defending on the backfoot, and his attacking prowess would have shone through when tasked with carrying the ball up and out of defence, or when supporting an attack with a darting run.

However, this is all just wishful thinking, as in reality, the defender, who is of Barbadian descent, has spent all summer as a free agent, having been released by Reading at the end of his contract, and very recently featured in a match put on by the PFA for free agents to showcase themselves.

It is entirely possible that he could still end up at a club higher up than League Two, where Wimbledon currently lay, but it would not be a surprise to see him back at this level, and it would be hoped that if he does drop down, that he won't be a player that comes back to haunt the Dons.