DRFC: My 5 Top Targets (Attacking Midfielder/'10 Role' Edition)

It’s the second episode of the transfer target series, in which I will be looking to find and discuss a variety of possible targets each week throughout the duration of the summer window. Addressing the weaker aspects of our squad and how we could possibly improve on them, my priority focus of recruitment will revolve around permanent transfers, working hand in hand with McCann's aim for long term recruitment, primarily free agents, and affordability. Today's primary focus: attacking midfield

If there is one particular aspect of the Doncaster Rovers setup that has been missing in recent seasons, it is the extreme lack of creativity in the centre of the field, particularly in the attacking midfielder, "number 10" role, sat behind the centre forward. As we've shifted to the 4-2-3-1 formation in the latter stages of the season, of which has been outrageously successful for us, we've seen the likes of Harrison Biggins sitting much higher up the field, often alongside Ironside in the attacking transitions, to create that added attacking threat in the opponent's half when we've needed it.

Whilst Harrison Biggins has come close to fulfilling this criteria in recent weeks, with his several goal and assist contributions, the team, as a whole, lacks the ability to create chances, and relies too much on the likes of Luke Molyneux and Hakeeb Adelakun for the curation of goalscoring opportunities. Here are my top 5 targets for rovers to aim their scope at over the coming months, as we aim to finish high in the table once again, and perhaps take us that step closer to escaping league two.

Noah Chilvers

If there is one particular player in this division that I feel is perhaps underappreciated for his overall ability, it's Noah Chilvers. The man is the beating heart of that Colchester side, and, arguably, has maintained their EFL status for a second season in a row, having edged closer to the drop without his goal contributions, and playmaking abilities through the centre of the field.

Able to dictate the play in various positions across the field, with the adaptability of playing either out wide or centrally, centrally, evidently, is where he excels.

Aged just 23, the midfielder is at that perfect period of his career by which he possesses bucket loads of senior experience in the EFL, with an impressive tally of 198 appearances, though still promises the ability to continue his development into an even better player than the one he already is.

With a history of brilliant performances in each season that he has played, Chilvers has outperformed that of his past, and current Colchester sides, with his best seasons to date - in 2021/22 and 2022/23 respectively, by which he managed 11 and 12 goal contributions. Whilst this season has arguably been one of his weaker displays in comparison to the two prior to it, his 4 goals and 1 assist have proven to be essential to the survival of Colchester United in the football league, though this only tells half the story.

Boasting an absolutely excellent portfolio of statistical performance this season, Chilvers' goal contribution ratio woefully represents his team contribution this season. With an expected assist ratio of 8.09, the fact that Noah has only accumulated the one assist over the course of the season directly signifies the extreme lack of quality in front of goal surrounding him. As one of the greater chance creators in the league, Chilvers boasts an impressive passing ability, across all aspects of the field, long and short, with notable accuracy for the most part.

Name: Noah Chilvers

Age: 23

Foot: Right

Height: 5"6

Position(s): Attacking Midfield/Central Midfield

Appearances: 51

Goal(s): 4

Assist(s): 1

Whilst the lack of goals may be off putting to some, I can assure you that the signing of Chilvers to a side like this one would be nothing short of a stroke of genius to add to our already strong midfield line up. Linking up with Westbrooke or Close, the marauding runs in behind Ironside, and his technical ability with the ball at his feet would be a nightmare for opposition defenders to counter, as the 5"6 playmaker's agility often runs rings around typical league two defenders.

Whilst the idea of the youngster being available on a free is a tempting prospect, it must be noted that, having risen through the ranks of the Colchester academy, Noah's links to the club may remain quite strong. Perhaps leaning towards an extended stay at the JobServe Community Stadium for another 12 months, as he did in May of 2023, I still feel that at such a crunch time period of his career, the midfielder may look to join an ambitious club project like our own here.

Chilvers would certainly be my priority option to aim our sights at should he eventually become available.

Joe Sbarra

A player that could easily join any league one side, and fit any play style with ease, Joe Sbarra is a player that clubs throughout league two and league one would be overjoyed with as a signing. Having been such an integral part of national league's Solihull Moors' success over the last 4 years, Sbarra is an outstanding talent, that would transform our first team into automatic promotion contenders. Officially released, as confirmed in Solihull's retained list in recent days, Joe will certainly face many offers from across the board of the EFL, and I just hope to God that Doncaster Rovers sit amongst them.

Tallying 36 goals and 10 assists during his time in non league, the attacking midfielder would offer so much quality to the side going forward into our attacks, adding that additional attacking threat with his close dribbling than that of Biggins would in the 10 role. Whilst Biggins has been excellent this season with his goal contributions from the midfield position, he is much more suited to the box to box role, rather than the 10 attacking midfield role that he has been utilised in during the latter half of this season, as we moved to the use of the 4-2-3-1 position.

Equally as able on either foot, Sbarra's confidence in shooting on goal from range emulates similar abilities to that of Molyneux's, though perhaps with a greater conversion rate than seen so far this season. Grossing an impressive 18 goals in the 2021-22 season, Sbarra's excellent finishing ability carried his side up to 3rd in the league table behind Stockport County and Wrexham.

Though very little statistical data is available to me to define his strongpoints and weaknesses, watching him perform to the same standard each matchday against any opponent is always a pleasure, and his swagger with the ball at his feet is always nothing short of entertaining. He really has been the equivalent of the non-league Messi in recent years. Small in stature, close dribbling, and a thunderous left footed strike, Sbarra would be my number one target for that number 10 position going into this transfer window. 

Name: Joe Sbarra

Age: 25

Height: 5'6

Foot: Right (Left)

Position(s): Attacking midfield, Right/Left Wing

Apps: 25

Goal(s): 3

Assist(s): 3

Having suffered a quite strange injury period this season, with some sort of viral infection, the 25 year old has only appeared on 25 occasions, with 3 appearances in the national league playoffs, in which he netted twice on the big stage. But it must be noted that his 3 goals and 3 assists only paint half the picture of what he brings to the table.

Dan Kemp

Released by MK Dons following the confirmation of their retained list for the 2024/25 season, there is absolutely no doubt that Dan Kemp is one of the best in the league for that attacking midfield position. Having absolutely torn through the scoring charts for the first half of the season on loan at fellow league two side Swindon Town, the former Hartlepool United loanee really showcased his abilities, tallying an astounding 16 goals and 8 assists in the first 5 months of the season, before being recalled to his parent club in January - in which he still managed 3 goals and 3 assists under a completely different play style.

The midfielder will now look to make a move to another ambitious league two club, or perhaps a lower league one side, as he looks for consistent league football, rather than moving clubs each season. On loan at Hartlepool United last year, the attacker looked set to save the league strugglers from the drop, scoring an impressive 9 goals and 2 assists in just 16 games for the pools.

Whilst many have called for Kemp to likely be reunited with his fellow Swindon star man Jake Young at Bradford City, this is really just a pipe dream, as rejoining former manager Graham Alexander - who openly criticised Kemp on numerous occasions - will be far from aspirations of Kemp moving forwards.

Outperforming his expected goals by 6, and his assist ratio by 5, Kemp's ability to create attacking threat from lesser situations is one of his many strong attributes. Dominating the ball with passing abilities, Kemp's accuracy with his distribution across the field is outstanding, and sits amongst the very best with passes completed, completing 944, with an accuracy ratio of 80.7%. Not only this, but his outstanding vision, paired with 60% accuracy from long balls, allows him to dictate the play from the centre of the field, sparking attacks from nowhere as a result of his intense footballing intelligence.

With a dribbling success rate of 51% (which doesn't sound as impressive until compared to Luke Molyneux's 39%), Kemp's extreme confidence with the ball when taking on opponents is an integral part of his ability to spark counter attacking football - a key element of McCann's play style, when pacy players are contributing.

Pace has been lacked in abundance this season from our front 3, and so the addition of a player like Dan Kemp, with his impressive levels of acceleration and top speeds, when completing his overlapping runs past Ironside, would be relentless on matchdays, causing opposing centre halves an absolute headache when asked to defend them.

Name: Dan Kemp

Age: 25

Height: 5'5

Foot: Left

Position(s): Attacking Midfield (Right Wing)

Apps: 48

Goal(s): 19

Assist(s): 11

Kemp has had an outstanding season this year and will absolutely face many offers from across the EFL. Perhaps one of the least likely options on this list, signing Kemp would be the equivalent of signing our very own Paulo Dybala, and having yet to even enter his prime years at the age of 25, the Sidcup-born magician will be an absolute force in no time. What a player.

Joe Pritchard

Perhaps the one of the realistic name on this list, Joe Pritchard has been an integral part of Accrington Stanley's starting 11 for the last 5 seasons, and, performing to an excellent standard in the division above, the attacking midfielder would, no doubt, be an excellent acquisition for this club to make over the summer transfer window.

Out of contract by July 1st, Pritchard has caught my eye on several occasions, particularly with his cheeky backheeled finish against rovers back in November, in the FA Cup first round replay on Accrington's turf. Tallying an impressive 7 goals and 5 assists this season, with 6 and 4 of which stemming from the league, Joe Pritchard has performed to an impressive degree within a side that has not exactly hit the ground running following relegation to league two this season, finishing 17th.

Having notched an excellent 9 goals and 7 assists in league one back in 2020/21 season, Pritchard, evidently, is a pedigree player, and utilised in the correct manner, McCann could really get the 27 year old up and running next season.

Likely looking for a move to an ambitious league two side, Pritchard has indeed been offered a contract by Accrington Stanley, his home for the previous 5 seasons, though I feel an offer made by Doncaster Rovers, on similar terms, would be, by far, much more appealing than remaining at his current home next season, as they look to rebuild the squad following a rather drastic clear out, like our own. We evidently have turned a corner in fortunes having finished 5th this season, and this will no doubt help the club with approaching its targets going into next season.

Name: Joe Pritchard

Age: 27

Height: 5"7

Foot: Right

Position(s): Central Midfield/Attacking midfield

Apps: 30

Goal(s): 7

Assist(s): 5

Certainly one to watch and a player that I believe McCann will be looking at already. A player with experience in the league above, and a creative outlet for the midfield, to create that bit more competition to the likes already signed on for the next season and afterwards.

 Tommi O'Reilly

Doncaster Rovers have a solid history with the development of midfielders from the Aston Villa academy, as players like Jacob Ramsey come to mind. Our playstyles often match that of the environment Aston Villa loan managers want their players to develop under, and with so much experience across our squad, the teammates available to possible suitors to Matthew Craig for example are immense. Our club is an environment that loanees want to return to following successful spells, and an environment where, for the most part, loanees have succeed (of course excluded quite a few names in the last 3-4 years).

As a result of this, I have decided to delve into the loan market to bring to light just one realistic name that I can possibly see breaking into senior football next season, perhaps under Grant McCann's Doncaster Rovers.

Introducing Aston Villa's Tommi O'Reilly. Described as a real magician on the ball, and the next Jacob Ramsey, the left footed attacking midfielder has received so much praise in recent times for his direct contribution to the U21 academy's successes in the Premier League 2 this season, by which he has accumulated a notable 4 goals and 9 assists in 3 EFL trophy appearances, and 9 PL2 fixtures this season.

Now at the age of 20 years old, the midfielder has been tipped for a first loan move to senior football in the English football pyramid, and following a failed loan to Aston Villa feeder club Real Irun in the Spanish 3rd tier, gathering just 2 appearances, the Birmingham-based club will look to find the youngster's next suitors. Which, hopefully, will be us.

With his silky footwork and extreme composure for a 20 year old, it is evident that this youngster is going places. And whilst highlights obviously only show the good bits, some of the content presented in various videos that I have witnessed are far from flukes. The boy oozes class. Having signed a long term contract extension this season at his parent club until 2028, it is a perfect indicator of just how highly they rate the 20 year old, and evidently believe that he will make it to the big leagues come the end of his career.

Having seen how successful Matthew Craig was for rovers this season, I would love to see us bring in another 20 year old midfielder to the mix, to develop under Bailey and Close, with two of the best managerial minds in the division to guide him.

Name: Tommi O'Reilly

Age: 20

Height: 5"7

Foot: Left

Apps: 14

Goal(s): 4

Assist(s): 9

What a gem this man could be if we make a move for him, and with our shining record for loan development, Rovers must be one of the more appealing options to the youngster should the Premier League side look to send him out for regular minutes and development this season with an EFL side. I am unsure of his ceiling, so a trip to league one may be a significant reality, but one that I am sure will be at the forefront of Coppinger's mind as one of the heads of recruitment.

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Please feel free to leave any constructive criticisms towards my writings, I would thoroughly appreciate this. After all, this writing format is a new one to me, as I look to widen my writing capabilities.

Furthermore, feel free to let me know if you have any other possible transfer targets that you have a keen eye on, they may end up amongst others at a later date.