Where MK Dons still need to strengthen this summer

It has been a busy transfer window already for MK Dons having added seven players to their squad this summer, but there is still work to be done.

The addition of keeper Jamie Cumming on loan from Chelsea on Saturday filled a significant hole in the team, while they have added in most other areas on the pitch. However, with the squad still thin on the ground, there are areas which need bolstering before the window closes on September 1.

Goalkeeper

Cumming arriving over the weekend will probably draw a line under the goalkeeper recruitment. With Franco Ravizzoli a reliable back-up, Dons coped easily with two senior keepers on their books in the second half of last season, after allowing third choice Laurie Walker to leave in January.

Centre backs

After the departures of Harry Darling and Aden Baldwin, Dons brought in Jack Tucker and have seen Zak Jules return from his loan spell at Fleetwood Town. If Dons opt to switch to playing a back-four, they will have plenty of options with Dean Lewington and Warren O’Hora firmly established in that position. But maintaining the back three might force Dons back into the market for depth.

Full-backs/Wing-backs

Irrespective of how Dons choose to line-up this season, they need strengthing in the wide areas of defence with only Daniel Harvie and Tennai Watson for those flanks. Lewington of course made a career of playing at left-back and Jules too spent his early Dons days playing on the left-hand side but neither are likely to want to take on the role full-time.

Midfield

While having the lynch-pin roles fairly well covered in the form of Josh McEachran and Ethan Robson, Dons may still look for someone with an air of creativity to bolster the centre of the park. Conor Grant may be deployed at the tip of the diamond behind the centre-forward in a ‘Scott Twine’ position, but fans have already been told he is not a direct replacement for the 20-goal Player of the Season.

Wingers

A position which Dons have not really deploys for several seasons, but the captures of Nathan Holland and Darragh Burns, as well as the experiement with Theo Corbeanu in the second half of season term show this may be a direction they plan on going. Linked with Crystal Palace’s Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and with Rangers’ Josh McPake over the weekend, Dons may yet look to bolster their wide areas.

Strikers

The top of everyone’s list as ever, not least the fans who we asked on Twitter on Saturday, adding to the front line is where Dons should be looking to strengthen. Having broken their transfer record to land Mo Eisa last summer, the striker is set to miss the start of the campaign with an ankle injury, leaving just Norwich recruit Matt Dennis to lead the line as it stands. Linked with the likes of Will Grigg, Sam Smith (Cambridge United) and Colby Bishop (Accrington Stanley), there are no shortage of rumours, but still a shortage up front.