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NewsDay

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English Premiership for Pritchard

Sport
ZIMBABWE international midfielder Bradley Pritchard could be headed for his biggest career move with media reports in Britain indicating the footballer has attracted the attention of Barclays Premier League sides Aston Villa, Fulham and Reading.

ZIMBABWE international midfielder Bradley Pritchard could be headed for his biggest career move with media reports in Britain indicating the footballer has attracted the attention of Barclays Premier League sides Aston Villa, Fulham and Reading.

REPORT BY FORTUNE MBELE According to Sky Sports, the three Premier League clubs are eyeing the Charlton Athletic midfielder, who has been a revelation at his Championship League side.

“Ex-non-league ace Pritchard has been a revelation since joining the Addicks in the summer of 2011, establishing himself as a first-team regular. His performances for the Londoners, who were promoted to the Championship last season, are understood to have earned him admirers in the Premier League. It is thought Villa, Fulham and Reading are all monitoring the midfielder going into this month’s transfer window as they consider bolstering their squads,” said Sky Sports.

Pritchard (27) earned his first national team call-up in May last year after the attacking midfielder caught the eye of former Warriors gaffer Rahman Gumbo.

Fulham are on position 13 in the Premier League with 24 points from 21 matches and on Saturday lost 2-1 to Swansea City at home. Villa are in position 16 with 19 points from 21 games and lost 3-0 to Wigan Athletic on Saturday before sharing the spoils in a 2-2 draw with Swansea on New Year’s Day.

Reading perch precariously on position 19 with a paltry 13 points from 21 matches and beat West Ham 1-0 on Saturday before suffering a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday.

Pritchard joined Conference North side Nuneaton Borough in 2006 and left the club at the end of the 2007-08 season after the outfit was liquidated.

Pritchard then joined local rivals Tamworth where he won the Conference North Player of the Month award for October 2008 after finding the net four times.

He then moved to Conference National side Hayes and Yeading United  for the 2010-11 season scoring 14 goals in 46 appearances and became a force to reckon with and a favourite among the fans.

During the 2010-11 season, Pritchard worked voluntarily as a performance analyst with Charlton Athletic and following a short trial with the club, he signed a one-year playing contract with the option of a further 12 months with Charlton on May 25, 2011.

Pritchard’s first appearance for Charlton, popularly known as the The Addicks, came in a pre-season friendly against Cardiff City at Estadio Guadalquivir del Coria CF, Spain.

Cardiff won the game 1–0.

Pritchard made his maiden league appearance in the 2011–12 season opener against Bournemouth as an 86th minute substitute.  The game finished in a 3–0 win for The Addicks and on June 19, 2012, Pritchard signed a two-year contract extension.

If Pritchard joins any of the three clubs, he will become the fourth Zimbabwean to feature in the English Premier League after Bruce Grobbelaar, Peter Ndlovu and Benjani Mwaruwari.