Three key areas for Walsall to reinforce over the summer
Walsall boss Michael Flynn is already working on improving the squad this summer in an effort to turn the Saddlers into promotion contenders.
Flynn, naturally, has not detailed the specific areas he is looking to address.
Here, though, we go over a few positions the Welshman is likely to reinforce over the close season.
Goalkeeper
Walsall will have to sign one shot-stopper in the summer, if not two. Carl Rushworth has been a success while on loan from Brighton but will rejoin the Seagulls and likely be loaned out to a higher level – a season in League One the obvious next step.
Jack Rose, meanwhile, is out-of-contract and may want to head elsewhere in his search for regular first-team football.
Ultimately, the Saddlers will need a No.1, and fans, ideally, would want one in permanently rather than another loan.
Some want Rose to be trusted for the role, but time will tell over whether Flynn feels the same way.
Wing-backs
Flynn’s preferred formation at Walsall so far has been a 3-5-2. And although Emmanuel Osadebe and Tyrese Shade have done well filling in as wing-backs over the past couple of months, they are not long-term solutions in that area.
Previously seen as a supporting role, wing-backs now have the potential to be real game-changers – Kane Wilson’s 13 assists for league leaders Forest Green Rovers being a prime example.
Flynn, you have to feel, will want specialists who are both defensively sound and provide more of an attacking threat. A natural left-footer who can take a set piece from the left flank certainly would not go amiss.
Attacking midfield
The Saddlers may have the answer to this poser in the current squad – Jack Earing having initially been signed as more of an attack-minded midfielder.
His performances in a deeper role, though, have been pretty strong on the whole, and that leaves a void to fill further forward.
Joss Labadie has played in that role as of late but is still yet to score this season. Osadebe’s natural role is as a No.10 but his performances there have lacked consistency.
While Liam Kinsella does all the dirty work, Walsall could do with somebody who has an eye for goal and can make defence-splitting passes. Both centre-half and centre-forward are likely to be targeted going into a busy summer, too.
