Bradford City confirmed the signing of Jenson Metcalfe on Thursday evening from Everton. The 20-year-old signed a three-year contract with the Bantams and will join the squad ahead of the 2025-26 EFL League One season.
The midfielder spent last season on loan at Chesterfield where he was able to make 31 appearances. He also scored once and assisted once with these contributions falling against Graham Alexander’s side in April.
This article aims to give you an insight into the midfielder’s journey, his positive attributes, the areas he could work on and how he fits into the Bradford City squad. We will also give our view on the signing at the end of this piece.
Jenson Metcalfe’s Journey
The Englishman started his footballing journey with Everton at the age of five. In a fifth-teen year period, he has gone through the age groups and eventually made the step-up to the Toffees’ under-18s side.
Whilst with the under-18s side, he made 35 appearances. These appearances mostly came in the Premier League Under-18s league. During his time with the Under-18s side, he also scored five times.
Following this, he made the step-up to the Everton Academy/Everton Under 23s side. Whilst in this set-up, the 20-year-old made 40 appearances and scored on four occasions.
This display led to him being loaned out to EFL League Two side Chesterfield for the duration of the 2024-25 season. While he made 31 appearances, Metcalfe suffered an injury which put him out of action between November 2024 and late January of this year. Even with this, the midfielder was able to impress.
This impressive display with the Spireites arguably made his move to the English third tier expected.
Metcalfe’s Impressive Elements
Through using the midfielder’s 2024-25 season statistics, through FotMob, there are some areas where Metcalfe impresses.
One of these areas is his passing ability. Last season, the Everton youth academy graduate executed 807 successful passes with a 83.6% success rate. Furthermore, the 20-year-old executed 66 successful long balls with a 47.5% success rate. These statistics place the midfielder as 18th best in passes per match 26th best in long balls per match which is arguably impressive for a player who was on his first professional spell at a club.
Another area where Metcalfe can be seen to impress is in his duels. During the 2024-25 season, the midfielder won 54.9% of his aerial duels and 54.1% of his duels. These statistics show us that the 20-year-old has the fight to battle for the ball and also has the ability to win the ball in the majority of playing situations.
Finally, a third area the Englishman arguably impresses in is his shot attempts. Last season, Jenson Metcalfe made 29 shots (an average of 1.03 shots per match during his 28 matches in the fourth tier last season). Furthermore, he was able to put eight of these shots on target which equates to a 27% success rate. These figures show the midfielder’s ability to shoot on sight and to put nearly a third of them on target.
However, it will arguably be difficult to replicate these figures in EFL League One – a tougher and more competitive league.
Where Can Jenson Metcalfe Improve?
Whilst the 20-year-old has many impressive elements, there is areas he can arguably work on.
One of these areas is his tackling. Last season, Metcalfe was able to make twenty tackles. But, he was only able to win 48.8% of the tackles he attempted. This makes it an area he could work on.
Another area he arguably needs to work on is keeping the ball. During the 2024-25 season, he was able to make ten successful dribbles. However, he was dispossessed on 23 occasions. This statistic shows us that keeping the ball may be an area he needs to work on.
Improving these areas can be said to be essential if the 20-year-old is to successfully make the step-up to the English third tier.
How Does He Fit In Bradford’s Shape?
Last season, Graham Alexander primarily played with a 3-4-2-1 shape which incorporated four midfielders. During that season, Jenson Metcalfe primarily played in the defensive midfielder position. But, he could also play in the central midfielder role.
If Metcalfe were to continue playing in his primary defensive midfield position, he would be battling for a position with Alex Pattison. When he was chosen to play, he would most likely line-up alongside Max Power. With Power’s experience, Metcalfe could learn a lot from the former Sunderland man.
But, Jenson Metcalfe won’t be guaranteed a starting position. Instead, the prospect of him gaining a starting position will be dependent on his performances in training and his attitude.
Is Jenson Metcalfe A Good Signing?
For the majority, Jenson Metcalfe is a brilliant signing. At just 20, the former Chesterfield man still holds an immense amount of potential. Furthermore, the experience of Max Power and Alex Pattison alongside others would mean that he would learn a considerable amount and would improve even more.
Metcalfe is a player who is technically brilliant but is still not skilled in some areas. If these creases can be ironed out and if he can replicate his performances in a higher tier then Bradford City have an immensely talented midfielder on their hands.
