dixiesdisciple
Player Valuation: £5m
Pretty sure I read that Brands said we need to be ‘creative’ this window.. perhaps this is the type of thing he was alluding to.and @Barnfred 55
Think we might need to look at it a bit differently in terms of prioritising positions etc.
Honestly think we need four areas all of equal measure – right wing, centre mid, right-back (though a lot depends on who the right winger is) and CB.
Push came to shove if we HAD to go for one first to get our no.1 target, it'd be CM for me.
However, I think there's obviously an argument to say we need 2 CMs (one more of a box-to-box, one more creative).
So, a long-winded point, but given Holgate was very impressive in the admittedly few games he played in a central midfield role, could signing another CB (especially one with pace like Gabriel) actually help us out in two positions.
Long-term, Holgate is a defender and with everyone fit he should 100% be playing there. But if we did sign a CB, it would actually kill two birds with one stone in a way, as Holgate could then always be that extra midfield cover if needed, giving full time to Gbamin to get back and - in an ideal world - acting as an alternative to whoever we hopefully bring in for that central midfield box-to-box role.
In the same way, a right back maybe more important than right wing if we persist with Iwobi.. an overlapping right back would definitely allow him to tuck inside and get on the ball more. Or, if you get an explosive, direct winger, Coleman’s deficiency’s in the final third aren’t as problematic.
Ideal world we’d upgrade both positions but that may take a couple of windows.