Nahki Wells

At 33 years old, Nahki Wells has this physical status:

Nahki Michael Wells (born 1 June 1990) is a Bermudian professional footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers on loan from Premier League club Burnley and the Bermuda national team. Wells began his career in Bermuda, where he competed for the Dandy Town Hornets and Bermuda Hogges.

Wells has since been playing in the Football League for Carlisle United, Bradford City, and Huddersfield Town. He had been living in England for a short time with Eccleshill United in non-league football.

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Club career

Wells was born in Hamilton. He began his career with the Dandy Town Hornets, a team he had joined at the age of 12. Wells was in adolescent at Ajax, Netherlands; he had been offered a job, but decided not to sign for the club. Wells spent the 2010 season in the United StatesL PDL with the Bermuda Hogges, scoring 2 goals in 9 games after spending the 2009-2010 season with the Dandy Town Hornets' senior team, scoring 20 goals.

Wells later moved to Leeds, England, to the Richmond International Academic and Soccer Academy, graduating in the Academy's first year, and playing club football with local non-League team Eccleshill United. Wells was charged with Carlisle United in November 2010, his second time with the club. Wells sought advice from compatriot Shaun Goater before heading to the United Kingdom. Wells would sign for Carlisle United in December 2010, according to the team's chief, on January 1st 2011. Wells made his Carlisle United debut on January 15, 2011, against Bristol Rovers in a League One match against Bristol Rovers. Wells revealed in March 2011 that he wishes to compete with Carlisle United in the 2011 Football League Trophy Final, which will be played in April 2011. Wells, on the contrary, did not make the matchday squad as Carlisle United defeated Brentford 1–0.

Wells' deal with Carlisle United will not be renewed at the end of the season, according to a press release on May 3.

Wells and four other players were on trial with Bradford City in late June 2011. On July 22, 2011, he committed to Bradford City for a one-year deal. Wells made his Bradford City debut on the first day of the 2011–12 season, becoming Mark Stewart's 74th-minute substitute. In a 4–2 victory over Barnet, he scored his first goal for the Bantams.

Bradford City exercised an option in Wells' contract on March 9, 2012, and the deal was extended by one year. Bradford defeated Northampton Town 3-1 on April 14th, with a hat-trick. He was later selected in the Football League Two Team of the Week for that week. Following this, former Bradford City player Dean Windass pleaded with Wells to remain with the club, while ex-Bermudian international Kyle Lightbourne likened him to Jermain Defoe. Wells and Bradford City began discussions over a new four-year deal in early May, and later that month, he told fans that he would continue with the team. Wells departed the club in June, but it was later revealed that he barely never signed for the team in the first place. Wells said in July that he was in no hurry to sign a new deal.

In an away match against Gillingham, Wells scored a penalty on the first day of the 2012–13 season. On August 25, he scored his second goal of the season in a 5–1 win over AFC Wimbledon, and he also assisted with the fifth goal, crossing for James Hanson to score with a header. Wells suffered a hip injury in September 2012. Bradford beat Burton Albion 2–0 in the League Cup third round on Sunday, with Bradford winning the game 3–2 in extra time. Wells came off the bench to score two late goals to help Bradford erase a 2–0 deficit against Burton Albion on September 25th. Wells signed a new three-year deal with the club at the end of September 2012, a move that was lauded by club manager Phil Parkinson. Wells was barred from celebrating his dreams in October 2012. Bradford City denied rumors involving Wells with a move away from the club as the 2013 transfer window opened. He scored in the 19th minute as Bradford beat Aston Villa 3–1 in the first leg of the League Cup on January 8, 2013. Wells was the first Bermuda player to play in an English major cup final after appearing in the 2013 League Cup Final. Although Wells did not finish the game, he did talk about being inspired by a friend's death in a motorcycle crash, as well as how he was preparing against opponents from a higher league. Wells hadn't scored for the club since February 2nd, 2013 until he scored his only goal of the game, against Northampton Town, 1–0. He had been linked with a move to Burnley later this month.

Wells, who scored three goals over two legs in May 2013, helped Bradford City qualify for the League Two play-off finals. His season-highs hit 25, the first goal he had set himself before the season began. He later scored in the final against Northampton Town, who lost 3–0 to gain promotion to League One. Following his promotion, Wells expressed his desire to remain at the club, though the club later revealed that if a good offer came in, the player would be sold. Wells was advised by former City player John Hendrie to stay at the club.

Wells wrote about his enthusiasm for another good cup run and his optimism that the team might win their second straight promotion ahead of their second consecutive promotion. Only a good offer, according to manager Phil Parkinson of June 2012, would compel the club to sell either Wells or fellow striker James Hanson. In July 2013, the club turned down a bid from Peterborough United and later revealed that no further offers had been made for the player. Wells' strike partner Hanson talked about his relationship with Wells in August 2013. Wells scored two goals in his home match against Sheffield United on August 24, 2013, tying for his eighth straight match, which was originally scheduled by Derek Stokes in 1959–60, which was lauded by teammate James Hanson. After the match, the club announced that they did not sell Wells and later confirmed that no bids had been received for the player until the transfer deadline. Wells was nominated for the League One Player of the Month award on September 4, 2013, winning the award two days later. Wells has praised his strike partnership with Hanson as "one of" the best front pairs that League One has to offer, according to journalist Simon Parker. Wells scored 49 goals for Bradford City, 49 of whom were playing with Hanson.

In late September 2013, Wells sustained ankle ligament damage in a match and was suspended for a few weeks. Wells returned to play after two months out, scoring a hat-trick against Coventry City, according to manager Phil Parkinson. Julian Rhodes, a club co-chairman, confirmed that the player could leave the club in December 2013, as rumors surrounding the player's possible departure began to rise. Wells and Hanson were the best strike pair in the division that month, and Davies encouraged Wells to stay with the club, although manager Phil Parkinson said that he did not want the club to sell the player. Wells earned an injury at the end of December 2013, and boss Phil Parkinson said he wanted any transfer problems resolved quickly. Wells has been receiving calls from a variety of Premier League clubs, as well as Championship side Burnley, on Monday, the club revealed that they had already turned down one bid for the player. If the club does not sell Wells, they would miss £1 million for the 2013-2014 season. Despite all the rumors, Parkinson said that Wells would be able to ignore off-the-field issues and rely on his playing, but that the player would be affected by the rumors.

Wells signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Huddersfield Town after transferring for an undisclosed club record fee. The agreement was initially a one-game loan contract to allow time for the permanent transfer to be completed. A section of Bradford City was mocked for moving from Bradford City to a team that was not considered a competitor. Wells played his Huddersfield Town debut on January 11, 2014, scoring the winning goal in a 1–0 home win over Millwall, less than 24 hours after joining the club.

Wells' first full season with Huddersfield Town as the club's top scorer with 14 goals. Following Huddersfield's promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2016–17 season, former club Bradford City received a £250,000 compensation payout.

Wells, in the final year of his Huddersfield Town deal, agreed to a three-year contract with Burnley on August 31.

Wells joined Queens Park Rangers on a season-long loan on August 23, 2018. On September 23, 2018, he scored his first goal for QPR against Sheffield.

Wells returned to QPR on loan for the 2019-20 season on August 8th. In October 2019, he was nominated for the Championship's Player of the Month award for his September appearance. He was released by Burnley on January 27, 2020.

Wells left Burnley and signed a three-and-a-half year deal with Bristol City on January 30th, 2020, for an undisclosed fee. He received the EFL Championship Player of the Month award in January 2020, which was rewarded for his work with Queens Park Rangers.

International career

In 2007, Wells made his international debut for Bermuda.

In the 2007 Island Games, Wells made four unofficial international appearances for Bermuda.

Wells was recalled by Bermuda in late August 2011, and the team will travel to FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in early September 2011. Wells has appeared in five 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches for Bermuda, against Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad, and Tobago.

Wells was named "one of Bermuda's most promising players with an exciting future" in February 2012 by then Sports Minister Glenn Blakeney, who was praised by Premier Craig Cannon in June 2013. He has been dubbed the country's "star footballer" by the media.

He was selected for Bermuda's 40-man provisional squad for the 2019 Gold Cup in May 2019. He was named to the final 23-man squad later this month. Wells scored twice, scoring goals against Costa Rica in a 2–1 loss, and against Nicaragua in a 2–0 win.

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