The talented left-winger could be a beneficiary of the Tigers’ transfer troubles
Barry is the Hull City correspondent, and previously covered Nottingham Forest for the Nottingham Post/Nottinghamshire Live. Barry has reported on Hull City’s League One title success and Championship campaigns
Joel Ndala’s cameo off the bench on Tuesday night against Sunderland was particularly eye-catching, especially given his season-long loan move from Manchester City to Hull City had only been confirmed an hour before kick-off.
His first touch was a mazy run where he took the ball past his defender inside the box, before cutting back in front of goal having been teed up by Kasey Palmer, and moments later, his goalbound shot angled away just at the last moment before hitting the post.
As cameo displays in a friendly go, this was a hugely promising display from a player who is in desperate need of getting his career back on track at the MKM Stadium. He is not dissimilar in style to Jaden Philogene in how he moves with the ball.
Ndala went to PSV last summer, but the move to their reserve side didn’t work out, and they opted against taking up the option to make his move to Eindhoven permanent for just over £5m.
“Joel is an extremely talented player. We are happy that he believes in our plan,” former City striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink said after he signed for PSV a year ago. “He is a versatile player, who with his speed and technique fits very well in Dutch football.”
After returning to the Etihad Stadium in the winter transfer window, he was loaned to Nottingham Forest’s academy. The Reds had the option to sign him this summer for £4m, but like PSV before them, that option was not exercised, and again, he went back to Manchester to contemplate what would happen next.
Before his move to the Netherlands, Ndala was a part of Pep Guardiola’s Man City squad that toured the USA, and had even been in the travelling party for the FIFA World Club Cup last year in Saudi Arabia, though he wasn’t named in the actual squad.
Prior to all of that, he was England’s first-choice winger in the Under-17 squad at the World Cup in Indonesia, and he featured heavily in first-team training under Guardiola and he’s impressed in EFL Trophy games against League One and Two opposition.
Ndala has had plenty of exposure at youth level, be that in the UEFA Youth League and Premier League 2, but he’s yet to play a game at Championship level, and that will be his challenge over the next nine months against such strong players, but his upbringing should stand him in good stead.
Now 19 and born with Democratic Republic of the Congo heritage, Ndala was an obvious talent when he came through the ranks at Port Vale, according to one of his coaches in the Potteries.
“From the first moment you could tell he was something special,” Callum Rollings, his coach at Port Vale, told the Guardian in 2023. “It doesn’t happen much – he was spotted playing in the playground and the teacher gave us a call. He just had this belief in his own ability, even though he was such a young lad. Joel’s the best I’ve ever seen at that age. It was always like he was still playing in the playground.”
“He was just unbelievable – in his own age group, he stood out like a sore thumb. We did try to hide him a little bit, but the main thing was that he wasn’t being tested, and that’s why he went up two years. There was always a lot of interest around him.”
Hull City’s transfer ban means they’re limited to free transfers and loanees that do not involve a fee. Manchester City, in a bid to get Ndala’s career firing, have waived any payment for the teenager in the hope of him sparking into life and returning next summer with a Championship season under his belt.
In all likelihood, without the current restrictions, City probably don’t get this deal done. Perhaps, their current plight means they can now attempt to unearth a gem. One with bags of potential, but one who is raw and in need of regular football under a manager who can get the best out of him.
We’re already seeing that Sergej Jakirovic can have a positive impact on the likes of Cody Drameh, Ryan Giles, amongst others, and so he’ll hope to spark Ndala into life.
The Bosnian knows Ndala, having watched him previously, so he’s already coming to work under a manager who actively wanted to sign him.
His path will not be easy. Liam Millar and Mohamed Belloumi are closing in on their respective returns from ACL injuries, but they will not be up to speed for a while yet, so he has the opportunity to make his case to Jakirovic.
David Akintola is expected to arrive imminently, and Abu Kamara delivered his best pre-season display against the Black Cats, so there is competition. Pharrell Brown has shone this summer and will hope that he can forge a path into the first team, and the same goes for Harry Vaughan.
There’s little doubt that Ndala has the potential to be a roaring success at City, one that they may not have envisaged having at the beginning of the summer. He could yet be something of a secret weapon.
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