Country: Wales
Main two players I'd like to see are an LB and a CB.
LB:
This is a position that IMO is the weakest in the team. Monreal, bless him, is declining steadily and doesn't seem to be up to the rigors of the league anymore. Kolasinac IMO is a pretty average defender who performs one specific action very well (we have a few players like this already). So I think a LB - particularly one with some pace - is important. The safe choice for me would be Kieran Tierney, but there are two LBs from the Championship that I think would be good pick-ups. The first is Jamal Lewis, who's been the mainstay of a team at the top of the Championship and has been very impressive opposite another young full-back, Max Aarons. My darkhorse pick however is Rico Henry. Henry's a player I've wanted us to bring in since I first saw highlights for him playing for Walsall as a teenager:
He's had some injury issues but seems to have put them behind him and returned to the Brentford starting XI, scoring a goal and getting 2 assists since returning. He's become a pretty reliable defender since joining Brentford but he's got a LOT of attacking potential and he would suit the kind of dynamic we're looking for from an attacking full-back.
CB:
The 2 CBs I'm thinking of are Jonathan Tah and Ibrahima Konate. Tah is the older, more experienced player and slightly taller (6'5) but both players are excellent physically, good in the air and can pass very well. Neither defender easily beaten. With the amount of young CBs at the club, I lean towards Tah who is still pretty young himself at 23, but he's been a mainstay of his team for quite a while now.
Bit of a weird one isn’t it? I think Henry is the more talented of the two but he’s made of glass.
If him and Lewis had the same injury record it’d be no contest and I think Henry would be knocking on the door for England even with all their options.
I think he’s got two years left on his contract and Brentford have had problems with getting young players to renew. Would be interesting to see what their valuation of him is.
I’d feel easier with Lewis myself though, think he’s destined to be a good consistent full back if maybe not quite as talented as Rico. Still lots of room for development though, will be at a top 6 club before long.
