Addicks secure services of O’s forward Bonne
Macauley Bonne scores for Leyton Orient against Gateshead (pic: Simon O'Connor). - Credit: Archant
The Championship club have signed the Zimbabwe international for an undisclosed fee
Macauley Bonne lets fly for Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road (pic: Simon O'Connor). - Credit: Archant
Charlton Athletic have completed the signing of Macauley Bonne from Leyton Orient for an undisclosed fee.
The forward moves across London after scoring 49 goals for the O's during the past two seasons at Brisbane Road.
Bonne penned a new two-year deal with Orient in August which was understood to have included a release clause and Lee Bowyer's Addicks have activated it to secure the services of the striker ahead of the 2019/20 Championship campaign.
After making his debut for Zimbabwe in November 2017, he was hoping to travel out to Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations, but an issue with his passport prevented him from being part of the 23-man squad.
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This has at least allowed Bonne to complete his move to Charlton which caps a great two-year spell and turnaround for the striker.
When he signed for Orient in the summer of 2017, he had endured frustrating loans at Woking and Lincoln City in the National League after not getting many starting chances at parent club Colchester United.
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Since he moved to O's, the striker has been prolific, however, and especially under the late Justin Edinburgh.
Bonne scored 40 of his 49 goals for the club under the legendary manager, who sadly passed away earlier this month after a cardiac arrest.
He was linked with a switch away from E10 in January, but stayed with Orient to help the club win promotion to League Two and delivered, with an 89th-minute penalty at Sutton United in April crucial to the team's bid to finish first.
A few days after Edinburgh had passed away, Bonne, 23, tweeted: "Since joining Leyton Orient, my ability as a football player has improved significantly.
"Not only this, but my outlook in life generally has been changed irreversibly for the better. There are a number of people I can thank for this, but none more so than Justin Edinburgh.
"Justin was not only my gaffer, but an inspiration, a mentor and most of all, a friend. He not only nurtured my career, he saved it, and his words and reassurance will stay with me for the rest of my life.
"His life and career has been cut short, but the people he made a difficult to will echo into future. No matter what I do, where I go from here, I will strive to make the best of everything he invested in me.
"My deepest condolences to Kerry, Charlie and Cydnie. What a guy!"
Bonne will now continue to play in Edinburgh's memory, but for Charlton while Orient and director of football Martin Ling have the job of filling the void left by the striker ahead of the club's return to League Two.