MK Dons have completed the loan signings of Josh Tymon and Elliot Ward from Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers respectively. Both join on deals until the end of the season. Tymon, an 18-year-old left back, has made eight Premier League appearances in his career for Hull and Stoke City. Ward, an experienced centre-back, has had a host of clubs at Championship level, but his longest spell came at Coventry City, where he made 116 appearances.
Josh Tymon and Elliot Ward Join MK Dons
The pair have become the first signings of new MK Dons boss Dan Micciche. They will be all too aware that they need to stop the leakage of goals that has seen the Dons plummet into the League One relegation zone. The strugglers have conceded 40 goals in the league already this season, just 18 less than the entirety of the last campaign.
Josh Tymon
Tymon began his career at Hull City, starting out in their U21 team and making his professional debut in an FA Cup win over Bury. His Premier League debut came in November 2016 against Sunderland, and his first goal came just two months later in an FA Cup win over Swansea.
After rejecting a new contract with the Tigers, he joined Stoke on a five-year-deal, making his debut in an EFL Cup win over Rochdale.
Tymon’s first Premier League appearance with the Potters came earlier this season, coming on as a substitute in the 3-0 home loss to West Ham, and then starting the subsequent 5-0 and 3-0 losses to Chelsea and Manchester United.
These appearances all came under former boss Mark Hughes, however. New manager Paul Lambert seemed keen to let Tymon out on loan for him to gain experience.
His time in the Premier League will certainly be a benefit to MK Dons, as will his undeniable talent. He will provide good cover for the returning Dean Lewington as well as some competition for Ben Tilney, who has returned from a loan spell at Brackley.
Elliot Ward
Ward is an experienced, 33-year-old defender who has played for a wide range of clubs up and down the country. His longest spell with any club has been the four years he spent at Coventry, but he has also had successful stints at Norwich and Bournemouth.
Ward joined Blackburn in 2016 on a free transfer and has since made 23 appearances, scoring once. He has, though, found game time hard to come by this season, making 15 appearances.
Ward has contributed to Blackburn’s solid defence, which has conceded just 26 times, with three blocks. His experience has also supplied a calming influence on the defence, something which the Dons are desperately in need of.
What the Boss Says
Speaking about the signing of Tymon, Dan Micciche said:
“I’m very pleased to get Josh in. He’s a highly-rated young player, who I know from my England background
“At such a young age, he’s got real experience having played against some top players and having played for the England Under-19s. He’s very good going forward but he’s also good defensively – I’m sure the fans will enjoy watching him play.”
He then had this to say about the deal for Ward:
“We needed to add another centre-half after the unfortunate injury to Joe Walsh.
“It was important, for me, to bring some experience in there and Elliott has a fantastic CV. He’s extremely professional, he’s good on the ball and he’s an excellent reader of the game. He’s also got a good stature and presence.
“As well as wanting to play exciting, attacking football we also need to keep clean sheets and I believe Elliott will help us do that.”
Main Photo
