“I was very sceptical at first” – Macauley Bonne on re-joining Charlton Athletic after spell at QPR | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic re-signed Macauley Bonne early this month after his contract at QPR was mutually terminated.

The 27-year-old spent last season on loan at Ipswich Town, and when he returned to the Rs this season, he found himself down the pecking order.

Despite the exit of Mick Beale and Neil Critchley’s arrival, it didn’t change the situation for Bonne, and he later left QPR.

Bonne was being looked at by several EFL sides, but he decided to re-join the Addicks and become their first signing under new manager Dean Holden.

The striker returned to the Valley last weekend as he was part of the Charlton matchday squad that beat Barnsley 2-0.

The forward has now quickly moved to address the comments he made when he left Charlton in 2020, where he said his “head had been instantly turned” once QPR made a bid for him.

Bonne has now said those comments were not meant in the context in which they appeared and were more in terms of the rise he had made.

He told South London Press, via London News Online: “It was a flying comment – I didn’t mean I was looking away from Charlton straight away. I was playing in the Conference not long before that, so it was a buzz for me that someone wanted to buy me for a lot of money.

“It wasn’t me saying: ‘Sod Charlton’. The interest went on for a while and there were a lot of bids going in, talks with the club. I still got on with my football. I didn’t sack off anything.

“The way the club had been going, for it to get £2m in their back pocket in the space of a few months after being relegated helped everything – whether that be work on the training ground and stadium, or getting players in.

“They bought me for £200,000 and they flipped me a little bit later for over £2million. In any aspect of life that is a good profit margin – whether you’re selling a house, a car, or a footballer. From a business perspective that was probably one of the best deals done here for a long time.”

Bonne’s second spell in a Charlton shirt begin last Saturday as appeared off the bench for the Addicks.

He added: “I was very sceptical at first, thinking what am I going to get here? I didn’t mean to disrespect the club or the fans.

“The second I heard them chanting my name, I gave them a clap and it kind of sorted out the elephant in the room. It was more about getting on the pitch and showing that I’m committed to being here and not focused on the past. I want to put my wrongs right. Hopefully I showed on Saturday that I’m willing to do that and fight for the shirt.”

Charlton tried to sign Bonne on loan on the final day of the summer transfer window, but the deal fell through before the deadline.

“That was just a frustrating night,” said Bonne. “The deal fell through, and it was gone 10.30pm. I’d been in here (Charlton’s Sparrows Lane training ground) from 2pm.

“I was driving home, and it was one of those where I wanted to say: ‘Just let me go and play my football. Let me go. They didn’t give me that opportunity’.

“QPR changed my life in certain aspects, financially they did help me out. I went from not being on a lot of money to getting a good contract for a few years.

“I respect the club, because they bought me and put me in the position I am today. I trained well and hard, but I didn’t get enough of an opportunity on the pitch to prove to that club, and their fans, that I could go and score goals.

“They bought me off the back of scoring 11 or 12 goals in the Championship and I went there and scored three in two-and-a-half years because I was not really playing.”

Quiz: What club do these 15 ex-Charlton Athletic academy players play for now?

1 of 15

Joe Pigott?

AFC Wimbledon Burton Albion Portsmouth Sheffield Wednesday

The Verdict

Bonne isn’t the first player to return to a previous club, and he won’t be the last. The 27-year-old will now be hoping he returns to the Valley as a different player from the first spell.

A more well-rounded striker that can play a big role in Charlton’s season, the forward will know there may be some fans who are struggling to forgive, but he will be hoping he can hit the ground running at the club and get back to the player that earned him the move to QPR in the first place.