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Following Ollie Turton and Jordan Gabriel’s departure from Bloomfield Road, Blackpool are looking to strength at right wing back.
Callum Connolly, who is mainly a centre half, and Jack Moore, a full back from the youth academy, have stepped in so far in pre-season but Neil Critchley will be looking for a wing back with similar quality to Luke Garbutt on the left in order to bring balance to his side.
I have looked at options that could be brought into the Fylde Coast club in order to add yet more quality to their side before the season kicks off.
For context, all statistics used will be for players who played 1000 minutes or more in the 2020/21 campaign.
1. Jordan Gabriel (Nottingham Forest) – The rumoured number one target
Blackpool fans will be familiar with Gabriel given his strong loan spell showing last campaign from Nottingham Forest.
Despite losing his place to the aforementioned Turton in a number of big games, many supporters and admirers felt that Gabriel offered more of a threat in a creative sense than the now Huddersfield man.
Within Critchley’s system, having a dynamic wing back who can get forward and add a body in between the lines, whilst also offering recovery pace and defensive stability, is vital to ensuring its success.
Gabriel made 29 appearances for the Seasiders in 2020/21 with 18 of those starts.
The 22 year old made an average of 6.99 PAdj interceptions last season (PAdj – Possession adjusted – gives allowance for players in sides that did not do as much defensive work as others).
This sits him on a par with his teammate Ollie Turton on 7.01 and in the top 20 full backs in the division, who played 1000 minutes or more, for interception work, showcasing a positional intelligence to his game which is vital in the high risk system Blackpool play in transitional phases.
He also sat in the top 15 in the division for dribbles per 90 with 2.36, Gabriel being one of the only balanced right backs in a back four in the top 15, highlighting the impressive balance to his play.
Many would argue that Turton was the better defender over the campaign but the two are pretty much on a par in defensive actions, with Gabriel the much more proficient player on the front foot.
Gabriel sat in the top 10 for progressive runs per 90 with 1.65 and key passes per 90 with 0.38.
On the eye, Gabriel offers an athleticism to Blackpool’s play and an intelligence to mix up forward approaches, looking to link with the central midfield where possible in order to interchange to gain traction into the final third.
All in all, with the age of Gabriel and the development he has made under Critchley in the 2020/21 season, he is rightfully Blackpool’s first choice for the slot going forward.
Should he arrive at Bloomfield Road for the rumoured £500k asking price, including addons, then it is another smart piece of business that will no doubt see a seven figure sell on in the future should his progression continue at the same rate.
2. Fran Tudor (– My number one option
Fran Tudor is a 25 year old right back who plays for
The Croatian international spent four successful years at Hadjuk Split in his native land before making the move to Poland and had a highly impressive season last time out.
Given Blackpool’s increasing scouting network and the areas in which they have looked to in order to bring players in, divisions like this are exactly where the club should be looking at to find real bargains that can be sold for a healthy profit two years down the line.
He made the most crosses per 90 last season in the division with 5.32 and is in the top six for xA per 90 (expected assists) with 0.13.
Making the second most dribbles per 90 with 3.95 and the third most progressive runs per 90 with 2.39 showcases his attacking threat with four assists last campaign alongside 0.72 key passes per 90, the highest in the division.
But offering that balance to the full back position is vital and he provides that despite his high attacking output.
He is in the top five for PAdj interceptions with 7.52 per 90 and he wins 53% of his defensive duels.
Sitting seventh in the division for successful defensive actions per 90 with 10.32 whilst being top of the right backs in the division for successful attacking actions per 90 with 4.71 speaks to the balance in his play.
With Neil Critchley’s system, Tudor offers the perfect foil for the likes of Demetri Mitchell and Josh Bowler to cut inside from the right and have an overlapping option in support.
Overloading defences is the main way Blackpool will be successful this season, looking to learn from how vital Luke Garbutt was using that approach at the back end of last season.
Fran Tudor is the perfect balanced option for that position in the top 20 leagues in Europe at an affordable price range for the Seasiders.
He is an athletic player who does not allow his smaller height to effect his physical attributes and offers a burst of pace that disrupts backlines.
3. Josh Key (Exeter City) – My alternate UK option
Josh Key is a man in demand at the moment with news breaking that Sunderland have submitted an offer that totals £1m for Exeter’s 21 year old wing back.
Exeter are a club well known in recent years for developing talent and selling on for big fees, but with Blackpool’s move into the Championship and right wing back being the key position to fill this campaign, a seven figure fee is something worth considering for a player of Key’s talent.
With five assists and two goals for City in the 2020/21 season, Key has shown he can have a big impact on his sides’ attacking output, but as I have reaffirmed throughout this piece, balance is vital and Key is another player who brings that to the table.
His figure of 10.68 successful defensive actions per 90 sees him in the top 10 in League Two last season, with 4.16 successful attacking actions per 90 putting him in the top four of players in his position in the division.
Delving deeper into the numbers, 0.12 xA per 90 is a top four stat for the division, whilst his progressive runs per 90 of 3.62 and offensive duels per 90 of 8.82 sit him 1st and 4th in the division respectively.
With Blackpool’s high pressing system, that last stat is particularly pleasing.
Onto the defensive front and his PAdj interceptions of 8.91 per 90 are highly impressive sitting in the top three of the division, and as the only progressive wing back in the top 10.
It is clear that he knows when to press and that positional intelligence spoken about before is key to Critchley’s system given the high line played and the concentration needed to not be turned in behind in transitional phases.
His foul per 90 numbers are impressive also for such an aggressive wing back at 0.72, not even in the top 25 of players to have played right back in the division.
This again speaks to his intelligence in play and knowing the right times to engage opponents.
All in all the seven figure fee may be a put off for the club and personally, given Gabriel is worth half the asking price, I would go for the Notts Forest man instead, but Key has certainly shown an impressive output in both defensive and offensive play for a 21 year old.
He has to be expected to ease the step up to League One football and beyond in the coming years.
Where Blackpool will head
It is obvious that balance at wing back is needed in the way Critchley wants to play and it is important to offer a flexibility of passing options on an offensive front alongside Luke Garbutt on the left.
Being able to stretch the play and interchange from right to left offers up space for Blackpool’s dangerous inside forwards to exploit as well as to overload the wide areas of the field.
Jordan Gabriel has showcased his ability to do this and should he come in on a permanent basis it will be a real coup for the club but, as I have highlighted, it is not the end of the world should Forest rebuff future approaches.
There are plenty of options out there for the Seasiders but they will want a deal for someone to be done relatively quickly as the Championship season quickly approaches.
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