Nigerian Wizkid, Layton Ndukwu, has joined Southend from Leicester on loan. The 20-year-old winger has signed on a season-long loan deal at Roots Hall.
Described by many as a pacey winger who can pull a trick or two on the ball, Ndukwu has turned out for England Under-17s in the past and also scored from the half-way line for the Foxes against Liverpool in December 2016.
“I’m hoping he will give us that X-Factor,” said Bond after securing the services of Ndukwu from the Premier League side. “He’s somebody who can beat a player, somebody who can do something different, create and he offers pace.
“It’s his first opportunity to play football that really matters.
“We’ll give him all the encouragement he needs to produce his best at Southend.
“He’s highly thought of. We had some reports on him last season playing for the Leicester Under-23s and the reports we had were positive.
“I spoke to the manager at Leicester about him, I spoke to the people who look after him and his youth coaches and they all think he is ready for the opportunity, so we’re going to give him that opportunity.
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“I look forward to him showing us and the Southend supporters what he’s got.
“We need somebody out wide who can do something. We’ve got Macca who offers us that natural width but we need somebody else to give us that little bit of something and get bums off seats so I’ll look forward to seeing what he can offer us.”
This is the first time in his career that he will leave to another club on loan
“I‘m really happy to be here,” he said. “It’s a good club, it’s a really good opportunity to get some first team football and I can’t wait to get started.
“It’s men’s football and I’ve not played much men’s football so far. It’s good foundations for the start of my professional career.
He acknowledges that playing at Leicester and breaking into the main team would be difficult hence he tried to move away.
“I’ve been trying to get out on loan for the last three years but I’ve matured a lot recently and it was just a matter of time before I did.
“I need a fresh and more competitive challenge to kick start my professional career and I hope to make the most of the opportunity.”
Ndukwu could make his debut this weekend against Blackpool.