The central defender will link up with James Collins’ under-21s squad after signing a five-year-deal with the old gold, and despite confessing that parting ways with his boyhood club was a big decision, Pond felt he was ready to advance his development elsewhere. Coming into a brand new environment will naturally challenge the 18-year-old, but Pond already has a variety of experiences under his belt that he believes will stand him in good stead.
On signing for Wolves
“I’m really happy to be here. It took a bit of time with it going through on deadline day but now that it’s over the line, I can’t wait to get cracking. As soon as the interest came in, I was overwhelmed by it, and I really wanted to come to such a big club like Wolves.
“With the philosophy of bringing through young centre backs, that was definitely a selling point for me to come here to try and prove myself. Every young player wants to be at a club that brings through young talent, so that was definitely a big factor in my decision to come here.”
Our new addition.
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On departing Exeter
“I loved my time at Exeter. They’re my boyhood club, so to leave there was one of the biggest decisions of my life, but I feel like it’s one that I had to take. You need to take those steps in life – I’m 18 now and I feel like I’m ready to take that next step.”
On his first-team experience to date
“It was tough to start off with because I was only 17 when I played my first Papa John’s Trophy game. That was quite a good experience, and it was tough playing against Chelsea under-21s who are a good side and it was a test for me.
“More recently I played against Cheltenham which was another good experience. I played against one of the most experienced strikers in League One, so that’s definitely something I can build on.”
On the challenge ahead
“The main challenge is coming in from a different environment into such a new one like this. Settling down will be the first thing that I look to get on with. The length of the contract shows the willingness from the club to bring me here, so I’m really happy that they showed me that commitment. I’ve just got to work hard every day and then hopefully the opportunity comes for me to break through.”
