It seemed an impossibility that Oxford would need another central midfielder after the summer transfer window they had.
Herbie Kane added extra depth to an overflowing centre of the park at the Kassam, but circumstances have changed.
United were always going to be in the market for another holding player following the long-term injury to Alex Gorrin, but the issue has been forced following Blackpool's renewed chase of Cameron Brannagan.
Although reports of offers between £300,000 - £500,000 are well short of Brannagan’s seven figure release clause, it is beginning to seem likely that the former Liverpool midfielder will depart this January, when Oxford can extract a fee for a player whose contract expires in the summer.
This alone would be enough for United to step up their transfer
chases, but the rumours suggesting Mark Sykes could be on his way out make
midfield reinforcements a pressing issue.
Huddersfield are among a number of championship clubs
interested in the Irish midfielder, whose contract also expires in the summer.
It is possible that United will elect to cash in on only one
of their two midfield stars, but Oxford will still need to dig into the transfer market if they want to remain genuine promotion challengers.
Oxford’s priority probably remains a holding midfielder, but should United lose both players, a more advanced midfielder may also be required, so both have been included on this shortlist.
Statistical Profiles
This piece uses data from Opta's Whoscored.com, comparing every player's per 90 metrics compared to all other players in their position or a similar one (e.g., for most of this piece central and defensive midfielders) to indicate a player's strengths and weaknesses.
This is then plotted on a radar map. The larger the line/dot, the stronger that player is for that attribute.
There are nine key attributes assessed for each player, and they have been roughly split into possessional (orange), defensive (red) and attacking (green).
The language may sound confusing, but it is actually quite self explanatory once you get into it, and each player will be described below anyway.
Jordan Shipley
Coventry City
Age: 24
2021-22 Appearances: 3
Transfer Type: Loan/Permanent
Jordan Shipley is a player who has been heavily linked with
Oxford this window. He has played just once in the championship this season, so
his statistical profile is made from his 2020-21 season.
He had proved an influential player for Coventry prior to
this though, playing 27, 31 and 33 league games in the three previous
seasons.
His statistical profile shows Shipley’s on-ball traits to be
rather unimpressive.
Shipley ranks extremely low for passes per game, with him
appearing in the lowest 7th percent of all central and defensive
midfielders in the Championship for the quantity of passes made per 90 minutes.
Obviously, the number of passes a player makes is highly
reliant on the system their team plays in, so cannot be entirely relied upon.
Shipley’s passing quality, on the other hand, is clearly a
better asset of his game. The
Irish midfielder's 1.2 key passes per 90 ranks him in the top 20 midfielders in
the championship and indicates that he has the potential to bring his team
forward with his passing.
If Oxford required him to play in holding midfield, though,
this trait may not be so effective.
Of Shipley’s 1.2 key passes per 90, 1.1 are short and just
0.1 are long passes, perhaps indicating that he does not have the passing range
of Kane or Brannagan, and may struggle to create chances for runners in behind from deep.
Instead, Shipley’s game is based on forward play, with many
of his key passes coming in the final third.
His 0.2 goals per 90 minutes was in the top 94th
percentile for all championship midfielders in 2020-21, and his 1.1 shots per 90 also
ranks him above average for players in his position.
His five goals and five assists in 2019-20 was the best return
of his career, and he has consistently shown an ability to get himself into
strong scoring positions.
Defensively, Shipley has solid positioning, but does not
engage in too many duels, and would not be classed as a purely
ball-winning-midfielder.
He has filled in at left-wing back for Coventry at several
times in his career, and would also be more than able covering at left-back,
where Oxford are very short of numbers.
Whilst Shipley is desperate to find more playing time,
prizing him away from Coventry may be a problem. With injuries and COVID high,
Shipley started their last match against Peterborough on Saturday, a 4-1 win,
and with clubs facing shortages, Coventry may be tempted to keep hold of
Shipley.
A deal for the midfielder, if one is available, is likely to happen late in the window, once Coventry have assessed all their options.
Ben Thompson
Millwall
Age: 26
2021-22 Appearances: 4
Transfer Type: Loan/Permanent
Readers who remember Ben Thompson from his excellent spell at Portsmouth back in 2018-19 may be surprised to see he is on this list, but the central midfielder has been consistently overlooked by Gary Rowett for Millwall this season.
After only 155 minutes of football, most of which has
come in the EFL Cup, he will be looking for a move away this January.
The 26-year-old is by no means expansive on the ball, with
his profile (which like Shipley is taken from his 2020-21 season due to a lack
of minutes this year) isn’t helped by playing for a deeply unexpansive Millwall
side.
He averaged the second lowest number of passes per 90 of any
central and defensive midfielders in the championship last season who played
over 15 matches, and he is in the bottom fifth for key passes per game too.
Thompson is, however, an elite ball winner, capable of
playing as a holding midfielder or further forward as a box-to-box runner.
Although his direct defensive actions (interceptions and
tackles) are not startling, likely a result of Millwall’s tendency to allow
teams to push forward before they engage, Thompson shows himself to be a busy
midfielder by the number of fouls he commits, scurrying around the game in a
‘Ryan Leson-esque’ sort of way.
Despite being only 5 foot 9 inches, Thompson is involved in
a high number of airiel dules, probably a result of Millwall’s style again, but
also showing his willingness to get stuck in.
Thompson is also skilled at arriving in the box, and offers
a genuine goalscoring threat from deep.
His 0.2 goals per 90 last year was among the best of his
peers, and he also ranks in the top 75th percent of midfielders for
shots in England’s second tier.
The major difference between Thompson and Shipley is
Thompson’s ability to carry the ball forward, averaging the third most dribbles
per game of all players in his position in the Championship.
This is a skill which has the potential to open games up for
Oxford.
If Sykes and Brannagan were to leave, Thompson would be
perfect for reigniting the drive in midfield United would lose.
Whilst Thompson’s on ball qualities may not have been best
showcased at Millwall, he is certainly still capable of adapting to Robinson’s
system, as shown by his aforementioned loan spell at Portsmouth.
Soccerment is a free to use data analytics app which provides in depth analysis on players from many of Europe’s top divisions, and using their statistics, we can track Thompson’s creative output over time. There is a clear drop off since his time at Portsmouth, but his 0.8 chances created per 90 in 2018-19 shows his ability when given the chance on the ball.
Marcus Browne
Middlesbrough
Age: 24
2021-22 Appearances: 0
Transfer Type: Permanent
It wouldn’t be a transfer window if United weren’t
linked to Marcus Browne, and his limited minutes means the most accurate
profile we can get of him is form his last spell with the Us.
Browne needs no introduction. He is nominally a forward
player, but could easily play about anywhere on the pitch, and could certainly
fill a role in one of the attacking midfield positions.
Browne does not engage in many passes, but his great skill is moving with the ball. He averaged more dribbles (4.5) than any other midfielders or wingers in League One in his short spell, whilst only Ivan Toney (4.1) could better Browne’s 2.7 shots per 90 of all players.
Defensively, he does hold his own, with just below average
stats for tackling and interceptions. His high quantity of fouls suggests he
likes to get stuck in, but Oxford fans may remember it being more to do with a
short patience than any particular defensive urgency.
Still, Marcus Browne would probably be an upgrade on any
existing midfielders, and would certainly be a replacement for Sykes rather
than a holding player, but would also give Oxford another option in the front
line if they needed it.
Working against Oxford is the type of deal Middlesbrough
would be looking at, with Chris Wilder making clear Browne is not in his plans, a permanent move is on the cards.
This means another loan would not be an option, and United may have to find some cash to pay his full wages, especially with Sheffield United reportedly also in the race.
Jacob Davenport
Blackburn Rovers
Age: 23
2021-22 Appearances: 10
Transfer Type: Loan/Permanent
Unlike the other names on this list, Jacob Davenport is an
out and out defensive midfielder.
The 23-year-old has struggled to make much of an impact at
Ewood park, where he’s been since 2018, due to injuries and more recently the
good form of those above him.
With Blackburn reportedly chasing MK Dons’ midfielder Matt O’Riley, the
door could be closed on Davenport, whose contract expires in the summer.
It makes a move for Davenport feasible, although it is
thought United might be in competition with MK Dons, who could snap up
Davenport as part of the deal for O’Riley.
Davenport’s on-ball qualities don’t shine on his profile,
with limited quantity of passes and key passes per 90 minutes this year, but
defensively he is very strong.
His tackling ability is in the top 67th
percentile for all Championship central and defensive midfielders this year,
whilst no player has averaged more interceptions per 90 (3.2) than Davenport,
although this may be somewhat skewed by his limited minutes.
Davenport is also strong in the air, ranking in the top ten
players for aerial duels competed for the 80 players in his position to have
played over five matches.
Davenport does not offer too much going forward, with only
five goals in 116 games across youth and senior football, and his dribbling
stats are among the lowest of any midfielders in the division.
He does bring experience for his age, though, having played 51 times in the Championship, including a loan spell with Burton Albion, although he is yet to make more than 17 appearances in a single season.
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