Blackburn Rovers have added to their defensive ranks by filling their fifth and final loan spot with coveted Manchester City defender, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who has signed for the Ewood Park side on a loan deal that will run until the end of the current campaign.
The centre-back, who only turned 19 a couple of days ago, is following in the footsteps of former teammate Tosin Adarabioyo by moving to Rovers, has become the third defender to come through the door at Brockhall in January, following the loan acquisition of Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, earlier on in the month and the permanent signing of now-Crewe Alexandra loanee, Harry Pickering, who was also confirmed today.
Harwood-Bellis, who emerged from the same youth side as Manchester City teammate, Phil Foden, is embarking on his first spell away from his boyhood club who he has been with since the age of six. Despite only being young at 19-years of age, the defender has been part of some big experiences during Pep Guardiola’s time at Manchester City, with the defender even making his Champions League debut, albeit as a cameo substitution against Dinamo Zagreb, in December 2019.
Despite him not yet making the breakthrough at Premier League level, Harwood Bellis has managed to amass 79 career appearances at both, youth and senior level. The centre-back has proved key for Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad’s performances in the EFL Trophy, over the course of the past three seasons. Alongside his aforementioned cameo appearance in the Champions League, the defender has managed to notch a goal for his parent club, which came in the 4-1 FA Cup Third Round victory over Port Vale in January 2020.
Before breaking into the first-team setup at the Etihad Stadium, Harwood-Bellis proved an integral part of Manchester City’s youth teams, as he skippered his side past Rovers’ under-18s in the semi-final before lifting the 2019-20 FA Youth Cup triumph in November 2019, all the while forming a formidable partnership with Eric García.
Standing at just under 6’2”, the Stockport-born defender is renowned amongst Manchester City fans as being exceptional with the ball, as well as booting his technical ability with his defensive nous and his ability to read the game. Whilst his lack of game time at Manchester City has been understandable due to the plethora of riches within that squad, Pep Guardiola has still found a place for Harwood-Bellis within a few of his matchday squads, with the Carabao Cup being his main outlet for giving youth a chance. The centre-back made his debut for the Cityzens in September 2019, at just 17, when he played the full 90 minutes, alongside Barcelona target Eric García as his partnership with the Spaniard evolved as City emerged comfortable 3-0 victors, with the teenager earning a clean sheet in his first professional game. That appearance was followed up by another 90 minutes in a 3-1 win at Oxford United where he also played the whole Quarter-Final tie. These appearances since allowed him to be eligible to claim a medal, after City stormed their way to a second consecutive Carabao Cup title, in March 2020.
Those two performances saw Harwood-Bellis gain the trust of Pep Guardiola, which has since seen him feature more in the two domestic cups over the course of the current season. Up until his departure on loan, the teenager had clocked up four further first-team appearances in the domestic cups, with games against Bournemouth and Burnley in the Carabao Cup and Birmingham City and Cheltenham Town in the FA Cup all under his belt prior to leaving the Etihad Stadium, which could again leave him eligible for medals if Manchester City pick up either or both of those trophies.
Whilst Harwood-Bellis has been catching the eye at club level, he has also been a leading figure on the international stage, as he has proved to be an integral figure within England’s youth setups. Whilst he is a current under-20s international, the City loanee has also captained the under-16s and 17s teams in the past, as well as participated in the 2019 under-17s European Championships and the 2020 under-19s European Championship Qualifiers, whilst also notching himself a goal at the Euros against the Netherlands and two goals during the under-19’s qualifying campaign. In total, across the various age groups, Harwood-Bellis has made 45 England appearances, to date, whilst notching four goals in the process. Although his appearances have come at a young level, his potential, both as a leader and a defender with indispensable technical ability, is limitless for both club and country.
Pep Guardiola’s trust in the defender has seemingly grown the more game time he has been given and that was shown in the form of a new four-year deal which was handed to Harwood-Bellis in December. As well as the Spaniard’s trust in the defender, Guardiola clearly has trust in Mowbray and Rovers in order to mould and develop one of City’s brightest young talents.
The addition of Harwood-Bellis opens up an interesting defensive conundrum for Tony Mowbray once all of his defenders are fit and ready to play. Some fans have suggested the potential to evolve into a five-at-the-back system in order to accommodate Harwood-Bellis, fellow January loanee Jarrad Branthwaite and captain Darragh Lenihan, but we shall wait and see how Mowbray operates following the acquisition of another top Premier League prospect.
