TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
Minnesota United FC have acquired left back Ethan Bristow from EFL League Two side Tranmere Rovers FC, the club announced Tuesday.
The 21-year-old English defender arrives from the fourth-tier club on a deal through 2025 with an option for 2026.
“First thing that really sticks out is he has all the physical tools, great size, incredibly quick and for a young guy, he’s played 46 games in League Two last year, and so he’s used to tough physical football and he excelled,” Minnesota United head coach Adrian Heath said in a statement. “He’s not afraid of the physical contact in the game, but he also has a good footballing mind and sees the game well.”
Bristow came up through Reading’s academy before making his professional debut in September 2020. He has logged more than 60 first-team appearances for Reading and Tranmere in league and cup competitions.
Bristow should add competition to Minnesota’s left-back spot alongside Jamaican international Kemar Lawrence and DJ Taylor, who naturally plays on the right. He is their third signing of the Secondary Transfer Window alongside striker Teemu Pukki and winger Ismael Tajouri-Shradi.
“The pleasing thing for us is he had a couple of options to go to the Championship [English second division] and the minute we spoke to him he had set his heart on coming to Minnesota,” Heath said. "It bodes well for the future and we are sure that over the course of the next few years we have added a tremendous player and he will be really valuable for us.”
As Minnesota look to strengthen their roster, the club sits 10th in the Western Conference table at 28 points as regular-season action pauses for Leagues Cup.
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