Red Bulls linked to Charlton striker Omar Bogle

According to a report from SportsWorldGhana, Ghanaian-English striker Omar Bogle “is likely to join” the New York Red Bulls “in the ongoing winter transfer window.” The 27-year-old striker, who is currently with League One club Charlton Athletic, reportedly has five months left on his contract with the Addicks, which contains the option for an addition year.

The report comes on the heels of SportsWorldGhana breaking the story of Samuel Tetteh’s loan move to New York, although it was initially reported as a “three-year deal” at the time. The move would additionally fit the pattern of Red Bulls sporting chief Kevin Thelwell trawling the turbulent transfer market of the English lower divisions for available talent.

At this stage of his career, Bogle could best be described as a journeyman. His academy days were spent with West Brom, Birmingham, and Celtic, but the West Midlands native was unable to earn a senior contract. He turned to the lower leagues, beginning his professional footballing journey with Hinckley United in the Conference North before joining Solihull Moors. His torrid three-season form yielded 66 goals in 116 appearances across all competitions.

This goal scoring prowess attracted interest from Grimsby, where he scored 38 goals in 83 matches playing in the National League and League Two. Bogle then made the dream jump to the Championship in January of 2017, signing for Wigan Athletic on a two-and-a-half year deal. The target striker impressed at the struggling side, and Cardiff City signed him for a reported 700,000 pounds.

The following years were unproductive. He failed to break into the Bluebirds’ rotation, embarking on equally fruitless loans to Peterborough United, Birmingham, Portsmouth, most recently Dutch club ADO Den Haag under the management of Alan Pardew. Cardiff allowed his contract to expire last summer.

This past October, the out-of-contract Bogle signed with League One club Charlton Athletic. The slide continued, resulting in a mere two goals in 15 appearances. He was recently substituted out of a match at halftime in a disastrous performance that may signal the beginning of the end to his time in southeast London.

A 6’3” target forward who favors his left foot, it is not difficult to see Bogle as a potential upgrade over incumbent starting forward Tom Barlow both from his pedigree and ability to be used in manager Gerhard Struber’s scheme of creating opposite foot mismatches among his forward pairing. But if the Red Bulls are interested in Bogle, the move could charitably be described as a true reclamation project. He has shown a capability for scoring, but that was four years ago in the depths of League Two. Perhaps a move to MLS will help him to reclaim past glory and live up to the potential once demonstrated in the depths of England’s professional leagues.