A familiar face is returning to Atlanta United FC.
The club announced Thursday that it had acquired Anton Walkes via transfer from Portsmouth FC, a club in the third tier of English soccer. Walkes, 22, played for Atlanta in its inaugural MLS season in 2017 on-loan from Tottenham.
No other terms of Walkes’ deal was disclosed.
“We’re excited to permanently welcome Anton back to the club,” Atlanta technical director Carlos Bocanegra said in a statement. “Anton is a versatile player who will immediately bolster our backline. He has spent the last two seasons developing his game in England against tough competition and now returns with tremendous experience. We know he fits well into the locker room and are happy to have him back.”
In 2017, Walkes appeared in 23 games with Atlanta United, starting in 17 of them. Typically deployed as a right back, he scored two goals. Walkes is a versatile player though and has also played as a left back, a center back, a left wing and as a midfielder.
A native of Lewisham, England, the 6-foot-2 Walkes came up in Tottenham’s academy and began his professional career with the club in 2016, making his debut in an EFL Cup match. He appeared in many matches for the club’s U-18, U-19 and U-23 sides before his loan to Atlanta.
After his return to England, Walkes was then loaned to Portsmouth in January 2018. Six months later, the club purchased his rights from Tottenham. Across all contests, he appeared in 65 matches with Portsmouth, scoring three goals and dishing out two assists. During the 2018-19 season, he helped Portsmouth capture its first EFL Trophy.
Where Walkes plays for the Five Stripes is up to manager Frank de Boer. When Walkes was with the club in 2017, Gerardo Martino deployed him as a right back. But after Walkes’ departure the club signed Franco Escobar, who has been one of the league’s top fullbacks when healthy.
On a conference call with reporters Thursday, Bocanegra said that the club is expecting to announce the addition of three to four players in the coming week. Walkes could be the first of those announcements.