Bristol City failed to get Charlton Athletic impact with West Brom loan star | OneFootball

Jonathan Leko was much more influential at The Valley than he was at Ashton Gate

Jonathan Leko is a player who has been beset by injuries during his prime playing years, but there was a time when the forward was considered a top asset in the EFL.

The West Bromwich Albion academy graduate proved himself to be a tricky customer on the flanks with his neat footwork and pace down the sidelines, and was tipped for the top right from the start of his career.

For one reason or another things haven’t quite worked out that way for the attacker, who left the Hawthorns in the summer of 2020 after playing just 16 league matches for the Baggies before moving across town to Birmingham City.

While still with Albion, he spent time at Bristol City and Charlton Athletic on loan, with the Addicks getting much more out of the start than the Robins, who gave him his first real taste of life in the EFL.

Bristol City fail to see the best of Jonathan Leko after West Bromwich Albion deal

Leko made the move to Ashton Gate in the summer of 2017, just four months after celebrating his 18th birthday, having already featured a handful of times for West Brom in the Premier League.

After making his debut in the top flight as a 16-year-old, the fleet-footed flyer was evidently a raw talent that needed fine-tuning during his early days breaking through into the first-team in the Black Country, as he was used to stretching the game in the final minutes more often than not.

Having earned a reputation as a star of the future, City offered to take the talent for the 2017/18 campaign, with plenty of anticipation surrounding his drop-down into the Championship for the season to come.

But expectations far exceeded reality in terms of Leko’s time spent at Ashton Gate. Lee Johnson struggled to get the best out of his star’s talents in the final third, with a fruitless stint in the West Country seeing both clubs and player disappointed with the situation.

The forward was afforded just five league starts during his time in red, with a further six substitute appearances, before Albion decided to cut the loan short as soon as January came around, with the decision seemingly best for all parties.

“Jonathan Leko has been recalled by West Brom,” Johnson said via Bristol Live at the time.

“He hasn’t had as much game time as he’d hope and the manager (Alan Pardew) wants to have a look at him. We thank him for his application with us.”

With the loan switch backfiring massively, Leko’s reputation took a massive hit during that time, with another 18 months back at the Hawthorns seeing him put in the hard yards to prove himself once again. The teenager was rarely seen on the pitch over that period, but he was handed a lifeline by Charlton Athletic.

Charlton Athletic stint helps Jonathan Leko regain confidence

It wasn’t until Charlton took a punt on Leko in the 19/20 season that he got the chance to prove himself once again, with a move to The Valley giving him the opportunity to prove what he can do after maturing into his career as a footballer.

Moving to London at the age of 20 would prove to have a major impact on the wide man, as he started to play his part under Lee Bowyer’s management with the Addicks, and started to live up to his glowing reputation from his earlier days.

With the confidence back in his veins, Leko was regularly making an impact in a Charlton shirt, with nine goal contributions across his 21 league appearances proving just what a difference-maker he can be at the level, with Reading the first to feel his wrath before August was out.

Three goals in three games across November saw the young star grow into his role in the frontline for the relegation-threatened Addicks, although victories were proving hard to come by as owner Roland Duchatelet’s time in charge of the club came to an end.

Leko’s performances offered reasons for hope and optimism during an unstable time for the club, with his energy and dynamism in the final third providing a spark for his teammates when they got the opportunity to go forward.

But even that glimmer of optimism was clawed away from Athletic in the December of 2019, as Leko’s season was brought to a premature end by an ACL injury, leaving him out of action for the best part of ten months.

Nevertheless, the forward had proven he was well worthy of his reputation as a youngster, with his talent there for all to see before his body let him down; something that has become all too familiar in recent years.

At time of writing, Leko has failed to play football for over a year with yet another major injury, with his contract with MK Dons set to elapse in a matter of months.

His spell at The Valley is testament to just how influential he can be on the football pitch when he is firing on all cylinders. Leko has no shortage of talent, but reigniting that spark and living up to his early potential is becoming increasingly unlikely.