Under The Radar #6

Name : Alex Jones
Age : 22
Nationality : English
Position : Striker/Winger
Club : Birmingham City/On loan at Port Vale
Career Apps : 24
Career Goals : 10
Career so far : West Bromwich Albion (2014/15) - 0Apps/0Goals
Birmingham City (2015/Present) - 0Apps/0Goals
Grimsby Town (2015) (Loan) - 6Apps/0Goals
Port Vale (2016/Present) - 18Apps/10Goals

Alex Jones is still relatively inexperienced in professional football but after being at clubs with great youth setups, there's no doubt he's well prepared to impress. Despite impressing at youth levels for West Brom, he was released at the end of the 2014/15 season which was said to have been a massive shock to Jones. However, he managed to bounce back from the first hard moment in his career and after impressing in a trial for Birmingham, he was offered a two-year contract. After good performances at youth level, he was loaned out to Grimsby in November 2015 for a month in which he made six appearances. Despite not scoring, Grimsby wanted to extend the loan as Alex Jones was contributing well in other departments and had formed a good partnership with Patrick Amond. Birmingham rejected the loan extension only to try and send the young striker on loan to the New Zealand A-League which eventually fell through due to FIFA saying the paperwork wasn't completed before the end of the January transfer window, despite recieving the paperwork 3 days prior to the deadline. He spent the rest of the year in the U21's and the reserve team where he was part of the side that lost the Birmingham Senior Cup Final to Solihull Moors. In August 2016, he joined League One side Port Vale on a 5 month loan. He made an instant impact on his football league debut, winning a penalty after only being on the pitch for 2 minutes. Manager Bruno Ribeiro decided against playing Jones directly up front as he saw potential for him out as a right winger. His judgement was wise as on his first game in his new position, Jones bagged himself a brace against Scunthorpe United. He said after this game that he enjoyed playing at right-wing as he was allowed freedom in the final third and hoped that his loan would be extended as he feels he doesn't suit the style of play at his parent club. He's had a superb start to life in League One, notching up 9 league goals in 16 with 6 of these being scored in his first 8 games. At just 22, the young man has great composure and never stops working for his side which is shown by the fact that 4 of his 9 goals have been the winning goal this season. At 6ft1 he's not only quick on the turn but an aerial threat. His finishing is superb and you can tell how clinical he is as his 9 goals have been scored in just 19 shots on goal. He does need to improve his overall game and start getting assists aswell as goals but that will come with experience. Hopefully his loan gets extended as it will help Jones develop his game under a manager who seems to get the best out of him. With his contract expiring in the summer, I'm sure Birmingham will have to convince Jones that he'll be allowed the freedom to play in the final third or he'll turn down the offer and go to a club where he fits into the system.