Plymouth Argyle hoping Mustapha Bundu will join up with them next week
The Championship club are working on get a work permit approved for the Sierra Leone international striker, who signed for them on transfer deadline day
ransfer deadline day signing Mustapha Bundu could arrive in the UK ready to join in with Plymouth Argyle training for the first time next Monday.
Director of football Neil Dewsnip has told Plymouth Live the process to secure a work permit for the 26-year-old Sierra Leone international is going according to plan.
The versatile attacking player was signed from Belgian club Anderlecht for an undisclosed fee on a contract until the end of the 2024/25 season.
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It was his form, and data, from a loan spell with Spanish second division FC Andorra last season that brought him to the attention of Argyle’s recruitment team.
So when Middlesbrough changed their minds about sending 20-year-old striker Josh Coburn on a season-long loan to Argyle, Bundu was one of the alternatives they immediately considered.
Bundu can play either on the left or right in an attacking role, or as a striker, so will give manager Steven Schumacher some good tactical options.
Dewsnip told Plymouth Live: “We are hoping by Monday he will be with the team. Everything has gone to plan so far.
“We are just waiting for the visa now to be processed and to get the green light. Hopefully that’s still on course, that’s my understanding anyway.”
Argyle announced the signing of Bundu at 9pm on transfer deadline day and that was the culmination of some busy work behind the scenes to get it all finalised in time.
In the latest Pilgrims Podcast, click HERE to listen, a story was told of how Argyle physio Gareth Law flew to Brussels to complete a medical on Bundu, who could not come to this country due to visa requirements.
Callam Mconie, who comes from Newquay and plays for Southern League Division One South side Mousehole, has been good friends with Bundu ever since they studied at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire and were in the same team there.
He spoke in the podcast about how their friendship led to Bundu playing for Newquay in a couple of games and how former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter had wanted to sign the powerful attacker when he was in charge of Swedish side Ostersunds.
Dewsnip confirmed Argyle had thought the quickest way to complete the deal for Bundu was to get Law to fly to Belgium to complete the medical at Anderlecht.
He said: “People would understand that the laws of our country with Brexit, it’s not easy for people of African descent to come in and out of the UK.
“In terms of speed we just thought that was the most sensible way to do it. Gareth had the longest day of his life I think.
“He was up at silly o’clock in the morning, a journey to London, a plane over to Brussels, and then to Anderlecht, which was the easy bit I think, and then all the way back having done the medical. That was just the most intelligent and quickest way of us achieving the process.”
A player’s medical is always a very important part of any transfer, and Dewsnip admitted Argyle did not rest easy until they knew Bundu had passed it successfully.
He said: “You are always a little bit unsure, that’s not just with Mustapha’s deal, but with all of them. Until they have signed and you have got the piece of paper in front of you there is always a risk that something happens right at the end.
“That’s the reason why we sent Gareth over there. Medicals are always part of that because you often wonder whether or not we are going to identify something that we don’t think would be best practice for us to go into an arrangement with.
“It’s part of that process. Supporters will watch on Sky TV on transfer deadline day and it’s getting to 10 minutes to go, and so on.
“There are people all round our leagues running around like mad trying to get things done. I would tell everybody we didn’t get that close to the deadline, we were done. So while it was a little bit nervy it wasn’t that nervy.
“I have to say, that’s credit to the processes we have now at Argyle. There is a number of people involved in that, not least of all Zac Newton and Ellen Shine, who pick up a lot of the administration that is necessary.
“There is obviously Jimmy (Dickinson, head of recruitment) and Ross (Goodwin, head of football data), there is myself, there is Andrew (Parkinson, chief executive officer), and Steven is in there somewhere as well obviously.
“It’s all hands on deck, but we have a way of working now which makes it as easy as we possibly can.”
Dewsnip has heard the Pilgrims Podcast about Bundu and his links to Cornwall and said: “I have not managed to finish it yet but it’s really engaging.
“I knew most of it but I didn’t know it all so he (Mconie) has added to the story a little bit for us, which is lovely.
“The supporters are going to feel almost though there is some sort of connection to Mustapha, there is an identity, a belonging which will work certainly in the short term. And then, like every other player, he will get judged by his performances on the pitch.”
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