Nigel Pearson's mission to change the culture at Bristol City has proved a long and difficult task.
After admitting it's now strong enough to bring in loan signings this summer, that's providing plenty of new challenges in itself.
Having shown reluctance as City manager previously to bring in temporary deals, the City manager admitted he is looking in the transfer market and predominantly targetting Premier League clubs in an attempt to strengthen and bolster his squad that lacks numbers specifically in the midfield department.
Pearson wants a defensive midfielder this summer to ease the burden on a defence that conceded 77 last season. A new arrival in that position will also provide in-game flexibility should City need to be more resilient in the final 30 minutes of matches.
However, getting deals over the line is continuing to prove a difficult task and patience is likely to be required. As Pearson has already alluded to, managers want to take a long look at their top talent during pre-season tours before making a final decision and there's also the raft of competition from Championship clubs.
It may be that City will need to wait until the end of the transfer window on September 1 before making their move but here are five defensive midfield suggestions worth considering.
Tim Iroegbunam (Aston Villa)
If Bristol City want a tough-tackling, aggressive, highly energetic midfielder who can screen the defence and break up play, then they should look no further than Aston Villa's starlet Tim Iroebungam.
If only it was that easy, however. At the beginning of last month, the Birmingham Mail claimed Bristol City were one of a host of Championship clubs looking into his availability this season. That could be an understatement with a player of Iroegbunam's quality and potential.
Steven Gerrard handed him his Premier League debut last season which is an accolade in itself proving just how highly the former England midfielder rates him but at an important stage of his career, a loan move may be seen as more beneficial this season instead of waiting for opportunities to arise.
Villa have also signed Boubacar Kamara this summer, adding to the competition in midfield at the club while Gerrard is open to sending his top talent out on loan with Cameron Archer, Philogene-Bidace and striker Keinan Davis all heading to the Championship last season.
Competition for his signature is expected to be rife with Sheffield United, Stoke City, Blackburn and Swansea all reportedly interested but they may all be left disappointed given Gerrard has this to say of the 19-year-old during the club's tour to Australia: "Tim played with discipline, I was delighted with Tim. He’s really given me something to think about, whether to keep him in or not. But I’ll make a decision extremely late on that but, if I was under pressure now, he’d be staying in."
Harvey White (Tottenham)
Young midfielder Harvey White is one coming off the conveyor belt of talent at Tottenham Hotspur and could be set for a loan spell in the Championship this summer.
He made his Spurs debut against Ludogorets in the Europa League during the 2020/21 campaign and earned a new contract just a month later. White then made his full debut in the 5-0 FA Cup win over Marine in January 2021 before joining Portsmouth on loan for the rest of the campaign.
White had the chance of heading out on loan in January for the second half of last season but Antoine Conte blocked the move due to a fear of a shortage of midfielders with Tanguy Ndombele, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso all heading out in the transfer midfielder. Hull and Luton were the two Championship clubs after him while Pompey and Sunderland were also linked.
White is a combative midfielder described in the similar mould of Harry Winks, he is particularly versatile in the middle of the pitch having played as an anchorman in Spurs' youth set-up and higher up the field. He has also featured at left-back which taps into Pearson's request for versatility.
Spurs are now more stocked in midfield with Yves Bissouma coming through the door while Pape Matar Sarr is also an option after returning from a loan spell with FC Metz last season. Although Conte could look to send the Senegalese talent to a Premier League club on loan.
Conor Coventry (West Ham)
The West Ham youngster is desperate to earn his opportunity in the top flight this season and has featured on a handful of occasions under David Moyes in pre-season.
At the age of 22, he'll be looking to continue getting regular senior football under his belt having spent last season with Peterborough in the Championship and MK Dons. In the campaign prior, Coventry was with Lincoln.
Coventry was touted to play back-up in the West Ham squad this season behind Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek but Moyes' signing of Flynn Downes from Swansea appears to have further pushed him down the pecking order. There's also a suggestion Moyes wants another central midfielder.
A report in the Sunday Mirror last month suggested Coventry is likely to head out on loan and the Championship is likely to be his destination. He was impressive with MK Dons last season and became a key figure in their push to promotion before falling short in the play-offs.
He's a battler in midfield with a keen eye for a tackle who is also comfortable in possession, both with the ball at his feet and finding a team-mate.
Lewis Bate (Leeds United)
The 19-year-old defensive midfielder joined Leeds from Chelsea last summer, penning a three-year deal until 2024.
He enjoyed success with the Chelsea youth ranks including captaining the Blues to the 2020 FA Youth Cup final but headed into Leeds' Under-23 side last season.
Any hope of breaking into the senior set-up this season looks slim after he was left out of Jesse Marsch's squad for their pre-season tour of Australia. His team-mate Jamie Shackleton also sat out before the latter joined Millwall on a season-long loan.
Leeds have also already allowed Tyler Robers to join QPR and Charlie Cresswell has also joined Millwall temporarily. Bate did get a taste of first-team action last season making one Premier League start and two substitute appearances.
Bate is known to be a combative central midfielder with a good left foot. He's also comfortable playing as a number six or number eight to provide versatility in the middle.
Kacper Kozlowski (Brighton & Hove Albion)
The 18-year-old may be relatively unknown to those in the Premier League, but in Poland he's touted as one of their brightest talents to come through the ranks. So much so that he holds the record as the youngest player to play at a European Championship when he came on against Spain.
He already has six international caps having come through the youth set up at Pogon Szczecin before Brighton made their move in January 2022, signing for a reported £8m fee. He was then immediately loaned out to Belgian club Royale Union St-Gilloise for the remainder of the campaign.
Another loan beckons for Kozlowski this season although it's likely he could head back to a side in Europe. When asked on his style of play, he told Brighton's official site: "As a style of player, I love going 1v1 or even 1v2 in good balance.
"I like passing and creating chances but also like taking players on. I also like to shoot from distance. I like to control the game but also put work in, both in attack and defence. I’m not afraid of defending! I like to work for the team and with the team."
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