An ex-Middlesbrough, Everton and Crystal Palace player trains with non league outfit Spalding United ahead of the 2021/22 season.
Yannick Bolasie has been working with the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands club and some of their players who have plenty of EFL experience already among the likes of Marcus Maddison, Nile Ranger as well as Chris Assombalonga, Glenn Yala Bolasie.
The 32-year-old is currently available as a free agent this summer after his contract at Everton expired, while his next move remains unclear.
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Bolasie impressed during a loan spell at the Riverside Stadium in the second half of last season and manager Neil Warnock, who also worked with the winger at Palace, was keen to re-sign the player.
However a return to the North East now appears unlikely with Bolasie now assessing his next move.
Still, the winger seems fairly relaxed about the situation that faces him this summer and has been helping the former Peterborough defender Gabriel Zakuani, now in charge of Spalding.
They have been tweeting videos this week of Bolasie in training with them.
On one tweet, they said: “Huge thanks to @YannickBolasie for giving his time up and working with @Gabs50Zakuani and the rest of the squad.”
Yannick commented : “Gabby and I have been friends for years and I wanted to come and help the Spalding lads out and pass on some knowledge, it was very enjoyable.”
Huge thanks to @YannickBolasie for giving his time up and working with @Gabs50Zakuani and the rest of the squad, Yannick commented : “Gabby and I have been friends for years and I wanted to come and help the Spalding lads out and pass on some knowledge, it was very enjoyable” pic.twitter.com/36XwrcImmN
— Spalding United (@SpaldingUnited) June 21, 2021
Bolasie scored three goals and provided four assists during his 15 appearances at Boro last season.
Speaking to the Express, the winger said: “If you don’t play for a considerable amount of time, it’s definitely harder,” the DR Congo international says about the prospect of being a free agent during an economic crisis.
“Where I’ve played games and shown that I’m alive and kicking, it’s put me in a better situation. It might get a bit tense if I’m in September and I haven’t found a club though. That might be when it gets a bit different.
“When I left Bristol City for Palace, I just wanted to be playing football. I didn’t care about the money I was getting or anything. I just wanted to play because I’ve always been like that, that’s just my character.
“Hence why I’ve probably killed myself going out on all of these loans from Everton, when other players might have said: ‘Actually, I’m coming back from my injury and I’ve got a five-year contract. I can sit here while I build myself up slowly’.
“But me, I’ve always wanted to play and going on loan has given me some good experiences. Obviously, no-one’s going to watch Belgian football. Nobody is going to watch Portuguese football. But I’ve played with some players who right now are killing it in the Premier League.
“I’ve managed to play and I feel good, because obviously I felt like I lost two and a half years of my career just on the injury.”
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Bolasie features in a new docuseries about Palace. ‘When Eagles Dare’ launches exclusively on Amazon Prime on the 4th of June and looks at the club’s rise from near-extinction in 2010 to Premier League promotion three years later.
His relationship with winger Wilfried Zaha played a key role in an surprise play-off success. The south Londoners were favourites for relegation when Bolasie joined nine months previous.
The duo lit up the Championship and managed a combined 26 goal contributions. Many of their assists were for Glenn Murray, whose old-fashioned centre-forward style complemented the wide men.
“I don’t speak to many people in football,” Zaha says in an episode. “But Yannick is one of my closest friends.”
Eberechi Eze’s memories of Zaha and Bolasie flying down Selhurst Park’s wings were a factor in his decision to join Palace last summer.
“When I first came I could see the defenders who were up against Wilf would back away and let him do his skill. But with me at the start they would come tight because they didn’t know me and that just meant it became easy,” Bolasie recalls of the 2012-13 season.
“If you come tight, I’ll spin and run in behind you. Slowly as the season went on they started leaving me more space and that made it even worse for them. But I had to earn it.
“The relationship was purely: ‘if he can do it, I can do it’.
“If he had a run and then the ball came to my side, I’m having a run, too, and vice-versa. It just worked naturally.”
He was left angry when being an unused substitute in the 1-0 playoff final win over Watford, which inspired him to become the player later wanted by Europe’s elite.
Another fantastic donation for our sports auction and a huge thank you to @YannickBolasie for signing and donating a pair of his boots 🌷 pic.twitter.com/nJDq1CLWJM
— Spalding United (@SpaldingUnited) June 22, 2021
Bolasie helped Palace finish 11th under Tony Pulis and they have been in the Premier League ever since.
“I was fuming. I was just angry. I said: ‘Actually, I’m grateful that we got promoted and now I’m going to take my anger out on the Premier League,’” Bolasie continued.
“Every game, I didn’t care who I was playing against. When I go back to it and I look at the videos, I can see my facial expression and my eyes. You can see straight away that it didn’t matter who I was playing against.
“I started realising I’m bigger and stronger than a lot of the full-backs. I was expecting everyone in the Prem to be so strong.
“I had played in the Conference and been pushed around, played in League Two and got pushed around. League One, same thing, pushed around, then in the Championship I got pushed around as well.
“That made me think that the Premier League’s going to be the same, but it was totally different. It was more about the football, and it suited me.
“It’s crazy because I did say to myself at the age of 16 that I want to be in the Premier League at 24. When I got to the Premier League at 24 with Palace, there were tears in my eyes.
“Playing a part in Palace’s journey is definitely a proud thing.
“Previously Palace always used to get relegated straight after being promoted so staying up was a great achievement.
“There’s a picture of us after a game against West Ham where we lined up and joined arms and it was an amazing moment.”
Fans reacted as the ex-Middlesbrough, Everton and Crystal Palace player trains with non league outfit Spalding United…
The man @YannickBolasie brings them skills wherever he is prem or a park it don’t matter. #baller
— Leon Mckenzie (@LeonMckenzie1) June 22, 2021
@namesnotmick: Sign him up @YannickBolasie
@EastonAdam: Jesus its only fucking Yannick!!
@smallieman: Was fantastic at @CPFC
@MarkWhetter68: @YannickBolasie keeping in shape for a Boro return I hope 😁
@HassanNalbant: Looking sharp 🤯🤯
@Matson316: Oh my god 😍😍 as if
@AndySlaughter: Fuck me Yannick Bolasie, baller
@J_scott_x: How’s bolasie at spalding then
@markpopple: This is nuts 😂
@xKenAdams1987: Ye mate, I’d recognise that horrendous touch anywhere, good luck
@Hameeeedddd: wtf is he doing in spalding 🤣😂
@dbrett1892: Him and Marcus Maddison Christ above
@ConnorLoydii: He was so heavy before he went to Everton yeno used to take the piss out of Lovren
@Fr33m0: He even loses the ball playing against part timers. You absolutely love to see it. 60 bags a week for a fucking freestyle show pony.
@Semmo62296026: How they managed that then
@kieraneverest: Bolasie x Spalding 🤩
@RossFlatters94: No way Bolasie.
@ciaranafc: Fuck me yannik 🤣🤣
@SuperPosh7: I can’t stop watching this… 🤣🤣🤣
@KVPFCx: why is Bolasie tearing round spalding for 😂😂😂😂
@REDANDBLUENEWS2: Bring @YannickBolasie back to Palace
@s4myoung: Yannick Bolasie and Marcus Maddison in the same team at Step 4, unreal
@renny_overton: Bankrupt by Christmas and back in the UCL next season
@Dines_11: Ahhhhh can’t wait to be watching bolasie flicks next season
@BillyJF__: Spalding moving mad… Can’t believe what I’m seeing!
@philwhile: Imagine if you told any of the Spalding lads this time last year that Marcus Maddison would be turning out for them and Yannick Bolasie would rock up at training 😂 Fantasy football stuff from @Gabs50Zakuani
@keenanmurphy17: Spalding making moves wow
@AndyP_180: Bolasie’s finally found his level
@liamb0117: Yala just loves football
@troyslaterr: Yannick Bolasie taking liberties 🤣
@united_Dawid: Nah what, Bollasie at Spalding wtfffff 🤣🤣🤣
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