Edit: I wrote this article on Monday night (7/09/2020), on Tuesday Posh signed Sammy Szmodics so immediately some of the information became outdated. It could perhaps serve as an article looking at who Portsmouth and Sunderland might look to sign as they were reported to be interested in signing Szmodics so will likely still be in the market for a similar player
It’s well documented that Posh are in the market for a number 10 to provide competition to new signing Ryan Broom. It’s also common knowledge that the man Posh want is Sammie Szmodics, whose impact on the side during a short loan spell last season was quite remarkable. While, I, like all other Posh fans, am hoping he returns to London Road, the competition for his signature intensifying while the player has stated his desire to play in the Championship. Posh may therefore have to set their sights on an alternative signing. In this article I will profile a number of available alternatives to Szmodics which could come into Posh’s radar.
First though, let’s understand exactly what it is Posh want from a player in the 10 role. Posh have a clearly defined blueprint of the attributes required for a number 10 within Ferguson’s current system. The new signing must bring energy and hard-running both in and out of possession, be an excellent presser and able to force mistakes of the opposition back line. He must also be a strong ball carrier and ideally very direct in his movements on the ball. He must be mobile, with the pace to stretch defences when running in behind beyond the forwards. Finally, Posh want goals from the 10 position, as the player will be asked to help chip in to fill the void left by Ivan Toney’s departure. It’s in these areas that both Broom and Szmodics excel, and also explains why Fergie did not fancy George Cooper, despite his ability and exceptional loan at Plymouth last year.
The demands placed on a number 10 in Posh’s system are therefore not typical of what is expected from a number 10, with the traditional 10 usually more of a passer and creator for others rather than the hard-running, direct and goalscoring Szmodics, who operates more as a shadow striker than playmaker. This limits the market of potential signings somewhat; however, it is still possible to identify a number of players who could come in and fulfil that role:
Jack Roles
Age: 21 Current Side: Tottenham Hotspur Target Type: Loan
21-year-old Cypriot Jack Roles enjoyed a productive loan spell at local rivals Cambridge United last season, whereby he notched five goals in 23 League Two appearances. Roles’ non-penalty goals per 90 of 0.35 ranked him fourth out of 133 central or attacking midfielders who played 500+ minutes in League Two last season. Roles possesses excellent shooting technique, hitting the target with 42% of his 2.65 shots, most of which came from range, and he scored three of his five goals from outside the area last season.
Roles racked up 5.55 dribbles and 2.18 progressive runs per 90 last season, ranking him sixth and ninth on each respective metric amongst the 133 midfielders and fulfilling the brief of being a direct ball carrier. Indeed, it is probably his dribbling and ability on the ball which is Role’s standout attribute, as he possesses an excellent touch and technique on the ball.
Roles is a decent, if not brilliant, passer. He is a more creative passer than Szmodics, with a greater range and variety of passing than the former Posh loanee, aided by having spent time playing in a deeper central midfield role. His xA p90 ranked him 20th in our sample. His vision and creativity when passing while not bad, are areas whereby he could improve, however this is a trade-off Posh are willing to take in order to get in a hard-running, goalscoring 10.
Roles is not as quick as Szmodics and therefore this renders him slightly less effective when pressing off the ball. He is however a hard-worker and aggressive out of possession, and more than capable of slotting into Posh’s pressing system.
Roles also brings with him versatility, something which has been a common theme of Posh signings this season, as he can also play in central midfield or on either wing and has even spent time up front at youth level. Having already had one successful EFL loan he has shown his readiness for first team football and would be capably of going straight into the side and making an impact. He therefore ticks every box which Posh are after from a 10 and while he is unlikely to be available, or affordable, to sign permanently bringing him in on loan would be a fantastic option.
Jack Aitchison
Age: 20 Current Side: Celtic Target Type: Loan/Permanent
Like Roles, Aitchison was on loan in League Two last season. In 28 appearances for Forest Green Rovers he notched five goals and five assists. In his loan spell Aitchison showed good versatility as he played as a centre forward, winger and attacking midfielder. The fact Aitchison can also operate as a centre forward is significant, as Posh like their number 10 to make runs in behind beyond the strikers and Aitchison is adept at running in behind off the shoulder of the last man.
Aitchison is a regular and technically gifted dribbler. He attempted 4.83 dribbles per 90 last season. He possesses excellent close control, good balance, agility and impressively fast feet. When played as a 10 Aitchison has shown the ability to collect the ball between the lines and drive forwards at defences to create shooting opportunities for both himself and others.
One weakness last season was Aitchison’s long-range shooting, he hit the target with just six of his 28 shots from outside the box, scoring once. Aitchison regularly shot from distances of 25m+, spurning decent positions when a pass would have been a better option. However, Aitchison’s movement and positioning in and around the box is good, he also has an impressive ability to use his quick feet and agility to fashion out shots on target in packed penalty boxes or when surrounded, in a similar mold to Siriki Dembele, with three of his five goals coming from such scenarios last season.
Aitchison posted decent creative numbers last season registering 0.98 shot assists last season. This number was bolstered by his impressive crossing and corner taking ability. At times Aitchison also showed good vision and execution for creative passing, with one of his five assists coming courtesy of a perfectly weighted through ball threaded between three covering defenders, although he was not prolific in his spotting or executing of intelligent and creative passes, registering 0.78 passes p90 which Wyscout categorised as ‘smart’.
Out of possession Aitchison works hard and adapted well to Forest Green’s high pressing system demonstrating a level of intelligence in his pressing lines, anticipation and reading of the game. While he lacks the aggression of a Sammie Szmodics or Jack Roles, his desire to work for his team and win is obvious.
Aitchison has entered the final year of his contract at Celtic Park and it is looking increasingly likely that his future lies away from the Scottish champions. Either a loan or permanent move for Aitchison may therefore be an option this window. As he’s aged under 21 he also wouldn’t count towards the current salary cap, which is a bonus and may allow for Posh to add depth at centre back.
Cal Roberts
Age: 23 Current Side: Notts County Transfer Type: Permanent
Cal Roberts has taken the non-league by storm following his departure from Newcastle United last summer. He scored 17 goals in just 25 appearances at Blyth Spartans earning him a move to Notts County, where he scored five and assisted one goal in just 10 matches.
The left footed Roberts played as an inverted right winger for County, however he can also play as a second striker or 10 and he has a number of attributes to be a success in the 10 role at Posh. Roberts’ attacking stats were spectacular from his time at County. Out of 107 attacking midfielders and wingers to have played 500+ minutes in the 2019/20 National League he ranked first for goals p90 (0.57), 3rd for shots p90 (3.07), and 10th for xG p90 (0.23).
Roberts also posted some impressive creative numbers. His xA p90 of 0.18 gives him a combined xG+xA of 0.45, while he also registered 1.82 shot assists p90. Roberts’ creativity and passing is impressive as he possesses good vision and awareness. His intelligent decision making and passing is aided by his calmness on the ball and ability to scan the pitch for a pass while in possession. He will rarely hit the first pass he sees in attacking areas, instead choosing to calmly assess his options. Roberts’ creative output is aided by his ability to hit whipped crosses into good areas.
Roberts is an very good ball carrier, nobody in our 107 player National League sample completed more than his 3.41 progressive runs p90, while he also attempted 7.51 dribbles p90. Roberts carries a big attacking threat in transition, a key phase of play for Posh, where his pace, directness and dribbling can effectively exploit the additional space available.
Roberts regularly moves centrally at Notts County and his actions in this area are part of the reason I believe he could be a big success as a 10. Roberts’s movement, positioning and ability to receive a pass between the lines is impressive. When collecting the ball in central areas he frequently drives at defences, before shooting or looking for a killer final pass. Moreover, Roberts is extremely effective when running in behind. He regularly makes intelligent runs to penetrate space in behind and demonstrates a good understanding of which areas to attack and how to angle his run to best exploit them.
Robert’s biggest strength out of possession is his forward pressing in attacking or midfield areas of the pitch. When pressing, Roberts is both hardworking and fast across the ground. He is quick to apply pressure to defenders and well suited to a team who play with a high press. His defensive output is impressive for an attacking player, he averages 2.4 tackles and 3.41 interceptions p90. While Roberts is quick to press, he does need to develop an understanding of where to position himself and his body after pressing as well as when to delay his opponent and when to rush his opponent to win the ball back.
Roberts is currently operating at a level equivalent of at least a very good League One player, but because of a combination of bad luck and personal issues he finds himself plying his trade in non-league. Posh have previous of successfully converting a winger rejected by Newcastle United and recruited from non-league into a number 10, they could do much worse than to repeat the trick with Roberts.
Ben Woodburn
Age: 20 Current Club: Liverpool Transfer Type: Loan
Woodburn has 10 caps for Wales and last season had an injury-hit loan spell at Posh’s League One rivals Oxford United, registering a goal and an assist in 14 League One appearances.
Woodburn, although not a natural ball winner, adapted well to Oxford’s pressing game. He is quick and hard-working across the ground when pressing, although he lacks aggression and struggles to regularly affect or win the ball due to his poor tackling technique.
Woodburn is a good dribbler possessing impressive close control, quick feet and speed across the ground. He is effective at beating his man 1v1 and direct when carrying the ball. Off the ball, Woodburn’s movement is good, he has the pace and intelligence to time his runs and be effective when running in behind.
His attacking output at Oxford was decent. Registering an xG p90 of 0.1 and 2.5 shots per 90. However, two thirds of his shots came from outside the area, with just 19% of his long-range shots hitting the target. His creative output was also quite good. Registering an xA p90 of 0.16 and averaging 1.4 shot assists. This is perhaps not consistent with his youth or international career however, whereby Woodburn scored more goals than he assisted.
Woodburn is a good, but by no means the best, option on this list. Though he is likely available and aged under 21 would not impact Posh’s wage cap, he is neither as dynamic in his ability to drive forwards with the ball as Broom or Szmodics, nor as effective out of possession. However, injuries and a lack of opportunities mean we have not yet seen the best of Woodburn at senior level and he ticks enough boxes that if other targets do not materialise it may be worth taking a punt on loan.
Scott Fraser
Edit: Scott Fraser joined MK Dons after this article was written on Wednesday 9th September.
Age: 25 Current Side: Unattached Transfer Type: Free agent
I’ll be honest, I am primarily including Fraser in this list as if I don’t his omission will be widely questioned and Posh have been linked with the player in the past. Fraser was arguably the best creative midfielder in League One last season. He registered 8 goals and 14 assists across all competitions for Burton Albion last season. He is a smooth and classy dribbler, creative and accurate passer while also offering a good goal threat from midfield.
However, a key aspect of Posh’s style is that the number 10 brings energy to the side both on and off the ball. Fraser lacks the pace and dynamism to fit Posh’s current system. He is not going to stretch defences by running in behind, instead preferring to receive the ball to feet, while his defensive output and work out of possession lacks the intensity that Ferguson demands. He is an excellent player at League One level, just not the right one for Posh’s system.
An Alternative Approach to Recruitment
The incredibly specific set of demands placed on a number 10 in Peterborough’s system means that identifying a high number of available targets of the requisite quality is difficult. However, in Jack Taylor, Posh have a player who could cover the number 10 role in Broom’s absence and offer the requisite qualities that the system demands. The issue with playing Taylor at 10 is that you lose his all-action displays and midfield drive in the centre of the park. Potentially then, a creative solution is to sign a player who can fulfil Taylor’s role in midfield, and push Taylor forwards when necessary. If Posh were to go down this root, which is admittedly unlikely, three excellent options would be:
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 22 – Leicester City – loan
Oliver Rathbone – 22 – Rochdale – permanent
Ebou Adams – 24 – Forest Green Rovers - permanent
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