Michael Beale provided something of a cryptic clue when asked about his interest in a new central defender before the transfer window closes.
As things stand, the manager has Connor Goldson, Ben Davies and Leon King to call upon. John Souttar is not far away from a return to contention whilst Filip Helander remains on the sidelines with no imminent return.
It could be described as wanting an insurance policy, with Beale effectively confirming a reluctance to go back to the emergency option of playing John Lundstram or James Sands in the heart of defence. When asked if he was looking to recruit a central defender this month, the response was:
“I think we need to move forward just because there’s a little bit of uncertainty around our centre-half positions. When Connor and Ben weren’t fit we had to play midfielders there or Leon. Leon’s had a fantastic first half of the season but that was a lot of pressure thrown on his young shoulders as well.”
“I just want some certainty in that position and if we were to get an injury I still want certainty because you build a team from the back forward and you build a team out of possession first. It really helps if you have mainstays in the centre of your team.”
That certainty would be provided by having another option but what then if Souttar returns in good condition and also the status of King, who will not be permitted to leave on loan it seems?
The update provided yesterday in a more guarded tone follows Beale’s post match comments on Saturday when he stated that he wants four more arrivals, including a central defender. Realistically, that will be the outlook for the upcoming Summer transfer window.
When pressed if Raskin would be the last incoming activity before the window closes on Tuesday night, the boss responded:
“There are one or two really interesting things. They become much more clear in the summer if I’m honest but if we can force something through we’ll try to.”
It comes across that nothing further, beyond the arrival of the Belgian midfielder, is expected but that the club are monitoring the situation. A curveball could yet happen though and maybe something to take us all by surprise. The next few hours this afternoon will be very interesting.