AFC Wimbledon: Johnnie Jackson should lean on Tottenham connection to strengthen defence | OneFootball

AFC Wimbledon must add depth in their defence, and the perfect solution lies with a connection to a former club of Johnnie Jackson.

The injury crisis at AFC Wimbledon could not have come at the worst time, and yet, you could also argue that there is a silver lining.

Despite the slew of injuries occurring right when the tough fixture buildup period around December and January has hit, the winter transfer window is just around the corner.

Even with the low transfer funds that fans of Wimbledon have become accustomed to too, thanks to being fan-owned and funded, there needs to be some moves made, especially in the defensive unit, which is where a former club of Johnnie Jackson steps in.

Johnnie Jackson must use Tottenham Hotspur connection to bring in Alfie Dorrington

Jackson should look to lean on his connections with Tottenham Hotspur, who were his first professional club, having signed that deal with the North London side in 1999. He would go on to play at Spurs 20 times and stayed until 2006.

It's another Tottenham graduate that he should have his eye on now, centre-back Alfie Dorrington.

Dorrington is highly thought of at Spurs, having been at the club since the age of 13 and progressing impressively through the ranks. He became the club's under-21s captain along the way, as well as earning youth international caps for England from u15 to u19 level, where he currently is in the England setup.

He is also a boyhood Tottenham fan and surely has his eyes set on becoming a mainstay in the Spurs first team in the not-too-distant future, having already signed his first professional deal with the club back in 2023 and trained with the senior squad since late last year too.

But the Lilywhites are probably going to want to test him out on loan first, with Dorrington not given first-team opportunities under Ange Postecoglou despite their current injury crisis at the back, and Wimbledon could be the perfect location for him.

He has gained experience against EFL and National League sides already this season, having played in the EFL Trophy and National League Cup group stages with Spurs age-group sides, so he will not take too much bedding into the tough rigours of League Two.

Away from match experience and readiness for action at Wimbledon, he is also perfectly suited to Jackson's style of play. A modern centre-back, Dorrington is comfortable and confident in possession, which is exactly the sort of player Jackson needs - with James Ball and Joe Lewis, the duo usually asked to progress the ball, both injured.

Spurs will want to see all facets of their youngster's game developed and the Dons could offer such a role if a loan deal was agreed.

Johnnie Jackson using former club links is rare at AFC Wimbledon

Despite this transfer being quite an obvious move to make with Wimbledon's current injury problems and Jackson's connection to what you can consider his boyhood club, it would only be the second occurrence of using former club links to sign players up.

His only other signing from a club that he had previously been at was Josh Davison from Charlton Athletic, where Jackson had played, captained, and managed.

He brought Davison into the Addicks' first team while at Charlton as their manager and upon arrival at Wimbledon in the summer of 2022, he made the now 25-year-old one of his first signings, but the former Swindon Town loanee's time at Plough Lane was definitely a mixed bag, and not as successful as both he and Jackson would have hoped.

Instead, the connections most used at the club are those which are shared by Director of Football Craig Cope and first-team coach Dave Reddington, whose connections are to Solihull Moors and Crystal Palace respectively.

And the links between the two are already being used more than with Jackson's and with arguably better outcomes. From one of Cope's former clubs, Solihull Moors, the Dons have already pinched both Josh Kelly and Callum Maycock, and while it may have taken both a little while to grow into their roles at Wimbledon, they are both now becoming strong first-team members and sorely missed in Maycock's case with the midfielder being one of many names on the treatment table.

Whereas Reddington's former club, Crystal Palace, has already lent Wimbledon the services of Owen Goodman in goal since the coach's arrival in the summer.

Connections will forever be useful in the world of football, and despite the Dons' recent dip into the free agent market to sign both Sam Hutchinson and Romaine Sawyers on short-term deals, these links to former clubs should maybe be explored more in the transfer windows to avoid the rush to replace long injury lists with free agents and youth players being recalled from beneficial loan spells.

So, even though Jackson has had a very hit-and-miss record of going back to former sides for signings, it should certainly not be ignored next time an opportunity, or need, presents itself.