“I feel ready,” says Jonathan Bond as he moves to LA Galaxy

The shot-stopper

Jonathan Bond

departed

and signed a two-year contract with the MLS side

.

The 27-year-old will go to the US on Tuesday and is given the opportunity to prove himself worthy. Since his senior debut in 2011 when he was at Forest Green on loan, Bond, who has always been a significant deputy, featured in 124 matches. However, he is now aiming for being number one.

“

I feel ready. It’s the next stage of my development – to do it consistently and show that I can. They have a lot of pedigree and it’s a great platform,

” he said.

“

I’m so excited. It’s one of the most famous clubs in the world and to have the opportunity to play for a team like that is massive.

“I’m going there to play, it’s a huge opportunity to play regularly and get some full seasons at a high level.

“I was hoping and praying it was going to go through because these things are never guaranteed, they are always complicated.

“I was looking in the summer at other options but Covid came at a bad time and I ended up re-signing but then found myself in more of a difficult position at West Brom.

“I’d known about the MLS interest since the summer, even though I was signing a new deal at West Brom I knew there was a chance of something happening in January.”

Over the course of two-and-a-half years, Bond has played in seven games for the Throstles in the FA Cup and League Cups. Sam Johnstone, the number one goalkeeper, however, made an appearance in all league games until being rested in the 3-2 victory over Wolves due to a coronavirus struggle.

“

I went there when I was 25 off the back off a full season (on loan at Peterborough) and it was an opportunity to go and develop with a goalkeeping coach who is highly rated,

” Bond said.

“

In my whole development my first six months at West Brom was huge for me, I developed so quickly and that was more beneficial than playing a full season at Peterborough, in a strange way.

“Sam has played really well, especially in the last couple of seasons, but I felt I was very close and I was putting some pressure on. In another time it might have broken for me.

“I felt I got a bit unlucky not to get a chance in the league, he didn’t miss a game in the whole time I was there which was incredible.

“It starts to feel like you are close, it always feels like you have a chance. When Sam was playing extremely well in the Premier League you do feel a bit far away from it, I won’t lie, but in the Championship, there have been times I was really close.

“It’s not like the door is shut and you’re making up the numbers just turning up for training every day.”

“Everyone says it’s the level of the Championship, so it is higher than people think. It has developed a lot in the last five years,

” added Bond, who has an American passport.

“

It’s a very different style of football though, there’s a lot less pressure on the managers and owners to win. You can set a philosophy, get more of a technical game and managers get more time, all the things you want as a club.”

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