I understand that wanting for us to sign defenders, is akin to the search for the Fountain of Youth…

However, the board might have been happy with our defensive depth prior to Militão’s injury—even though at the risk of stating the super-obvious: we were desperately lacking— they might give this the same treatment as they did Courtois’ injury( no pun intended) and go sign someone? The likes of Todibo, or Pavarad for instance?

The following is an excerpt from The Athletic, which was written in the context of Manchester United, but it’s pretty applicable to us:

Analysis by Manchester United correspondent Carl Anka:

“Where would they fit in?

  • Interest in Pavard comes with a double benefit.  The 27-year-old Frenchman is most famous for his stunning goal against Argentina in the 2018 World Cup, where he was playing at right-back. While he has informed Bayern Munich of his preference to play at centre-back, Pavard’s passing range and speed would make him a good alternative to Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in games where Ten Hag needed greater attacking thrust down the right wing. His decision to recalibrate and become a centre-back is an interesting one. Of his 162 appearances for Bayern Munich, 44 came as a centre-back, either in a back three or with Joshua Kimmich often inverting from right-back and the Frenchman shuffling over to cover. Pavard’s defensive aggressive positioning has often been to his detriment in big games for club and country with a  number of clubs targeting any space he vacates while on Champions League duty. Standing at 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) he could bring some much-needed height to a United Starting XI that has gradually got shorter since the days of Jose Mourinho.

  • Jean-Clair Todibo would be seen as more of an eventual successor to Varane than a short-to-medium-term deputy. The tall (6ft 3in) 23-year-old has been a clever member of an impressive if inconsistent Nice side in recent years. Although he has experience playing in defensive midfield as well as left-back, in recent seasons he has emerged as a centre-back with a skill for dominating 1v1 duels (albeit not in the air). Todibo’s pace, match-reading ability and aggression in the tackle have already seen him called a young Varane in certain circles.”