Former wonder-kid John Bostock – who was once offered a contract with Barcelona – finds his 15th club at National League outfit Notts County.
Born in south London and signed for Crystal Palace at age five, Bostock got his ‘wonder-kid” label through his achievements at club and international levels.
At 14 years old, he was being watched by some of the most important clubs in Europe. Barcelona offered him a 10-year contract. He then decided to stay at Palace.
When he was 15, he was chosen for the Eagles’ FA Cup match against Watford. He then went on to make four Championship appearances.
He was then to make a high-profile move to Tottenham Hotspur. However, despite being Spurs’ youngest player at 16, he didn’t succeed in his move. After loans in the EFL, MLS and other sources, he left White Hart Lane.
Belgium was his next destination. Bostock, who became a fan favourite at Royal Antwerp and won the second tier’s player of the season award for helping OH Leuven get promoted with 13 goals, and 19 assists, was awarded the Player of the Season award.
He was a success and he moved to Lens where he won Player of the Season in the French second Tier.
After a spell on loan at Nottingham Forest, he was back in England and signed for Doncaster during 2020-21. He was a star despite Rovers’ League One relegation last season. They offered him a new contract, but he declined it. This opened the door for him to transfer to Notts County free of charge.
Welcome to Meadow Lane, @JohnJBostock 🤝
— Notts County FC (@Official_NCFC) December 7, 2022
CLUB STATEMENT:
We have completed the signing of cultured midfielder John Bostock on an 18-month contract.
Bostock, 30, has represented the likes of Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest and Toulouse in a fascinating career to date.
He has been training regularly with the club in recent weeks and we are pleased to have this morning reached an agreement which will see him take squad number 24.
Head coach Luke Williams said: “The opportunity for John to come and train with us was a pleasant surprise to say the least and, very quickly, you could see he has the physique and quality of a top player.
“He’s powerful, very strong when he needs to protect the ball and can move freely. He doesn’t need backlift – he pushes the ball around very cleanly.
“What you don’t notice until a little later, however, is that he has the mentality of a top player as well. He’s very bright and his attitude is superb.
“I feel really strongly that John will add value – not only as a player, but as a man. He’s gone full circle in football, experiencing really high moments but also probably some low and disillusioned periods, with lots of success woven in.
“He’s bounced back from every difficult period he’s faced and is going to be able to give some really valuable help and advice to the players around him. He’s someone you can’t fail to respect.”
Over the course of his career Bostock has developed a reputation as a highly technical midfielder – with the added bonus of him being left-footed.
Williams said: “We’re not blessed with too many left-sided players, so I think John brings some nice balance to us in the middle of the pitch.
“Those who watch us regularly will know we have a lot of actions down the right-hand side – and I think one of the reasons for that is because our right-footed players are more comfortable playing passes into that channel.
“Adam Chicksen probably doesn’t get as many openings because of that, but someone like John should help open up the pitch even more.
“He has a terrific range of passing and, although we don’t go long too often, he certainly has the ability to play the big diagonals – similarly to Aden Baldwin, who offers us a different dimension with his distribution.
“He can also find passes through tight areas, which is often what we need because teams are very conscious to defend well against us.”
Bostock is also well-known for his set-piece delivery and, while we predominantly play short in those situations, Williams believes it will still be a valuable trait.
He said: “In reality, what we’re seeing is a rolling set-piece. It’s harder to strike a stationary ball than a moving one, so what we try to do is work opportunities for our players to use the ball’s momentum to generate curl and power.
“John is one of a number of players who will be able to hit balls into dangerous areas with pace, power and whip – and with him being left-footed he’ll be able to help the likes of Kyle Cameron and Adam deliver from that side of the pitch in open play.”
While being aware of his qualities, Williams doesn’t have a set role in mind for his new recruit.
He said: “We’ve used numerous central midfield systems this season and feel John has a lot to offer in several roles, as is the case with all our midfield players.
“We’re looking forward to working with him in the coming weeks to see more of his characteristics and identify the many different ways he’ll be able to help the team.
“We need to take a closer look at where he is physically and choose the right time to involve him. He’s a very good player, but we have to look after him in the correct way and monitor his progress as he gets up to full speed.”
Williams believes the squad deserves credit for convincing Bostock that this was an environment he could thrive in.
Back at it! Delighted to have signed for the oldest league club in the world @Official_NCFC
Grateful to God for this next step in mine and my family’s journey. Let’s go! #coyp pic.twitter.com/GBDbEBgkha
— John Bostock (@JohnJBostock) December 7, 2022
He said: “I think John could see from being around the lads that it’s an ambitious group that works very hard and plays the game in an enjoyable way.
“John looked like he was in an environment which suited him and for a player of his quality to fit in so well with the group is testament to the individuals we have here.”
Youth career
1999–2007 – Crystal Palace
Senior career
2007–2008 – Crystal Palace – 4 games (0 goals)
2008–2013 – Tottenham Hotspur
2009–2010 → Brentford (loan) – 9 games (2 goals)
2010–2011 → Hull City (loan) – 11 games (2 goals)
2012 → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) – 4 games (0 goals)
2012–2013 → Swindon Town (loan) – 11 games (0 goals)
2013 → Toronto FC (loan) – 7 games (0 goals)
2013–2014 – Royal Antwerp – 31 games (1 goal)
2014–2016 – OH Leuven – 51 games (18 goals)
2016–2018 – Lens – 42 (5)
2018 – Bursaspor – 8 (0)
2018–2020 – Toulouse – 16 (0)
2019–2020 → Nottingham Forest (loan) – 7 (0)
2021–2022 – Doncaster Rovers – 39 (0)
2022– Notts County
International career
2006–2007 – England U16 – 6 games (0 goals)
2007–2009 – England U17 – 25 games (0 goals)
2009–2010 – England U19 – 9 games (2 goals)
Here’s the Twitter reaction as the former wonder-kid once offered a Barcelona contract finds his 15th club at National League outfit Notts County…
@JamieBriody: Met John a few months ago at a park, went out his way to speak with me as he noticed my forest top. Genuine bloke, a good guy in football. Didn’t have a club at the time, happy he’s gone to Notts.
@SpaffNCFC: What a signing that is, all I’m hearing is positive things about him anorl, Welcome ⚫️⚪️❤️
@ryantheg: Great singing such a nice bloke aswell worked at his property many times and was very honest and open all the best to him
@4evaNFFC: Biggest signing in County’s history. Great player and great bloke. Good luck John.
@JonRichmond1: Gutted he’s not still at Rovers but wish him all the best , super player
@AdamCharlie10: Unreal signing !! Very under used at Forest but at that level that’s some statement
@magpies_history: Welcome to Notts County John & good luck 🙏🏻 🖤🤍
@K_Motson: A potential partnership of Palmer and Bostock is fucking filthy and I love it 😍
@AdamCharlie10: Unreal signing !! Very under used at Forest but at that level that’s some statement
@ctsmclovinya: Statement signing this. Hope he smashes it 👊
@jacquimee: Just when I thought things couldn’t get anymore exciting. Welcome to ML John. 🖤🤍🖤🤍
@achandler2409:
Looks an excellent acquisition😳
Welcome to a great club John🖤
@jkwainman: Quality player on his day and when it’s fit, he should smash the Conference. I was looking forward to seeing him and Clayton together in league two for us but JB wanted to play at a higher level 🤔
@Ryannn_NCFC: How do I say it? We’re going up 🤍🖤
@halftimepies: If you can keep him fit he will be unbelievable in your league
@AO1865: One of the nicest blokes in football by all accounts, if he can stay fit he’ll rip the league to bits.
@foxual13: Got a lot of time for this guy. His bedtime stories in lockdown were great. #NFFC
@H4rrisonholland: Some signing that.
@MightyroverMatt: Don’t think @JohnJBostock understands the league system, done great to say he thought he was better than playing league two football !!!
@TLPepper92: Fantastic signing that is 👏🏼
@Ellie_a_04: What a signing! Welcome to the lane
— tomhwilliams23 (@tomhwilliams23) December 7, 2022
— Gavalar 🇬🇧 (@GavVallance) December 7, 2022
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