Paul Clement has made it quite clear that he is keen on giving Kyle Bartley a chance during pre-season to prove himself at Swansea City this summer. The defender was on loan at Leeds after a very good season in which he often captained the side in the absence of Liam Bridcutt. If Bartley isn’t to come then here are a few other options we like the look of.
Harlee Dean – Brentford
Harlee Dean is one of those defenders who likes to play out from the back, something that Garry Monk builds his style around. The defender has been brilliant at Brentford for a few years now and the skipper has no shortage of admirers in the Championship. Alongside John Egan the pair have improved as the season went on and have formed a solid and dynamic partnership for the Bees at Griffin Park. If Bartley doesn’t come to Leeds it means we need a player to partner Pontus Jansson and the prospect of a player like Dean doing that would make the blow of losing Bartley all the softer. Brentford can struggle to keep hold of their players when bigger clubs come in as they money generated isn’t always big at the London club.
Grant Hanley – Newcastle United
The Scottish international centre back didn’t have much game time at Newcastle as the season went on with Mbemba, Clark and skipper Lascelles all in front of him at St James Park. Hanley was signed for around £6 million from Blackburn Rovers who couldn’t escape relegation after losing him along with Shane Duffy who departed for Brighton. Hanley is a master at defending in and around his own penalty area. take him out of there and put him on the halfway line against a quick striker and there his problem lies. What Hanley does well is avoid these situations and makes sure he doesn’t get caught when and where he doesn’t want to. Decent on the ball and a player who is more than good enough to play at the top end of the Championship. He is almost certainly available and could be going for a decent price.
James Tarkowski – Burnley
The Manchester born defender is another who made his name at Brentford but left to join Burnley as they gained promotion to the Premier League. He has a bit of everything in his locker and learned to play out from the back during his spell at Brentford. He was signed by Sean Dyche and everyone expected him to go straight into the Burnley side but it hasn’t worked out that way. The form of Michael Keane, now an England international and Ben Mee has meant that Tarkowski has spent much of his time at Burnley watching from the sidelines. After another season with a lack of game time it may well be the time in his career where he needs to drop back down and make sure it doesn’t fizzle out. At Championship level he is quality and in a side that would include Pontus Jansson, Luke Ayling and Gaetano Berardi he could really flourish. The defender may be playing against us next season as other clubs will be circling for him.
