Before Dion Pereira kicked on and showed what he is capable of, I spoke about the attitude required for him to transfer his technical ability into a real opportunity to become a Championship player in the future. And why, should he show commitment to his football career, the sky is the limit for him. Some of you may think that even though he has shown himself to be a very good footballer last season, saying the sky is the limit might still be a push. But you have to take into consideration that any footballer with ambition shouldn’t stand still in terms of technical ability, but should be striving to constantly improve everything about their game. So a footballer shouldn’t be solely judged on what you’ve seen of them up until now, but considerations should be made about the work they’re putting in off of the pitch an their attitude to the understanding that in football, as in life, there is always more to learn and always more we can improve on. Pereira in terms of technical ability is already in a good place, is young enough to get better and now appears to have a better outlook on what he needs to do, and these things are all very positive signs that if he does this consistently over the entirety of his career, anything is possible for him.
At the time of writing the original article about him, he had his work cut out trying to convince his manager at Luton Town, Nathan Jones, that he was the real deal and could fit into the Hatters first team, in fact he had a job on his hands convincing his manager to keep him at Kenilworth Road. As things stand, having impressed since then at Valley Parade, it was perhaps too late in the day to convince his manager that he is all the way there yet. No doubt Jones will be looking for a reaction from him, should he still not have done enough to feature in his plans just yet. This is one reason Bradford City supporters have every reason to feel optimistic about seeing him return to the club on loan for the 2022/23 season, and best of all, with the momentum that Pereira has, and the hard work he appears to be putting in to ensure he is in pique condition for the new season, this could be a big season for him that hopefully we can all share in remembering as the season that defined his career.
Whether Dion read the article back then is doubtful, but either way he certainly seemed to have taken on board what was written and he got his head down, as a result he became an instant favourite with the Bradford City supporters with his quick thinking, attacking intent and technical ability. Not only that, he was consistent, something that is vital if you are a footballer wanting to get to the very top.
No doubt Mark Hughes has enquired about the opportunity to get Pereira back at Valley Parade for another season, and my initial belief was that if he does return it might be initially a six month loan deal with an option for Luton Town to recall him should they need to when we reach the winter transfer-window. It has been reported that Dion is keen to return to Valley Parade and as things stand, if that is the case, we are definitely going to see him return on loan.
Playing another season on-loan for Bradford City will really give Dion Pereira an opportunity to show to his manager that he can produce the same results across an entire season in League Two, and if he does, it will show beyond doubt that he is a player that is suited to football much higher up the league. As I did point out in the last article about Pereira, it is easy to look good in just a handful of games. There are many players in the past that have picked up brand new contracts under brand new managers on the back of a handful of quality performances and turned out to be duds, often down to their own lack of commitment which has lead to their careers quickly taking a nose dive. There is no reason why Dion cannot finish this season with a medal and even pick up some accolades as in the EFL League Two Team of the Season, whilst cleaning up at our own Player of the Year Awards. The only reason he didn’t clean up any awards at Bradford City last season is purely down to the fact that he hadn’t played enough games to prove consistency and see how he reacts when things go against him. This time around, I feel positive that he will react well in times of adversity!
Add to that the signings of Harry Chapman and Jamie Walker, with Dion Pereira on the wing Bradford City will be a frightening prospect to come up against in a creative and attacking sense. And if Lee Angol can stay injury free, Kian Harratt carries on his own early promise from his time at Port Vale, along with maybe another key signing up front, there will be an abundance of goals from the Bantams this season.
There is also the rumour that Richie Smallwood will be on his way through the doors at Valley Parade, although there is stiff competition from League One. Should Bradford City get their man, this will be a massive statement of intent and provide us with another piece of the promotion jigsaw. So, from Dion’s point of view, a return to the Bantams on loan could provide him with an opportunity to have a season to remember and catapult himself on to the radar of clubs in the Championship.
One thing is for sure, for Dion Pereira, playing regular first team football is going to be vital for him at this stage in his career and should he return to Bradford City he is guaranteed to get it as long as he continues doing what he did last season and keeps on striving to improve as a footballer all round.
Whether he does return or not, it will be interesting to see how he develops in his career and I personally want to see him go on to bigger things in the future and showcase his talents as high up the league as he can.