Wednesday 10 May 2017 18:41, UK
Wing-backs were out of fashion in the Premier League for many years but have now become the must-have accessory of the summer. So where will clubs find them? Adam Bate speaks to those in the know to discover whether supply can meet the demand.
At the time of Shane Warne's debut for Australia in 1992, it had been more than 20 years since an England cricketer, Robin Hobbs, had been selected as a specialist leg-spinner in a Test match. On English wickets, in particular, the craft was regarded as almost obsolete. As the old Sussex twirler Ian Salisbury put it, he had "no role models and no one to watch".
Within six months of Warne's emergence reinvigorating the appetite for leg spin, Salisbury lined up for England against Pakistan at Lord's. The demand was there but not the supply. In the right place at the right time, but not the right man, Salisbury's 20 Test wickets came at a cost of almost 77 runs apiece. The dalliance was all but abandoned for another generation.
Such is the fluidity of football positions, the wing-back never disappeared as dramatically as cricket's leg-spinner. But nevertheless, the decision of 18 of the Premier League's 20 teams, including every one of the top-six sides at various points this season, to try out a system that incorporates them has proven a challenge. Where do you actually get a wing-back anyway?
Some have sought to unleash their full-backs with Tottenham's Danny Rose and Kyle Walker embracing adventurous roles. "The modern emphasis on the offensive side of the game lends itself more naturally to the role of the wing-back, so that does make the transition easier," Tottenham's former head of player identification Rob Mackenzie tells Sky Sports.
"For example when we signed Kieran Trippier at Spurs his offensive output was through the roof but he hadn't explicitly played at wing-back for Burnley. However, when he played there for Spurs at Watford last season, the first time that the team had played that shape, it suited the strengths of his game - crossing and quality of delivery in the final third."
Other clubs have attempted to instil greater defensive awareness in erstwhile wingers, with Victor Moses perhaps the most notable example. He has flourished on the right for league leaders Chelsea. "My first option is always to be offensive but at the same time, I've got to do my defensive work which hopefully I'm getting good at," he told Sky Sports in December.
Where possible, expertise has been bought in from abroad. Antonio Conte was naturally aware of Marcos Alonso's suitability to the role from the Spaniard's time in Italy with Fiorentina. A player who might otherwise have been overlooked by the top teams has suddenly found himself pivotal to Chelsea's turnaround principally due to his position.
Of course, players are not oblivious to this shift in circumstance. West Ham's Michail Antonio has shown himself to be a flexible performer in every position from right-back to left-winger this season, but it is his capacity to operate as a wing-back that will have played a part in his decision to reject a double-your-money offer from the club.
Walker's own future at Tottenham is also in doubt. The England man is well positioned to exploit the Manchester clubs' desperation to add pace on the flanks and secure a huge pay rise in the process. Strikers are still the most expensive players to acquire, but right now those most in-demand are the men capable of operating at wing-back. Opportunities arise.
Jesus Navas is a good example. The Spaniard has been underwhelming figure at Manchester City, notching up 100 games without a goal. But after failing to feature in back-to-back Premier League games under Pep Guardiola prior to April, he was in the side four times in a row that month after switching to wing-back. A surprise new contract duly followed.
Suddenly, Premier League clubs are scouring the market for players who can perform the role. Chelsea began their pursuit of Schalke wing-back Sead Kolasinac in January. Napoli's Faouzi Ghoulam and Hoffenheim's Jeremy Toljan are gossip-column regulars. Even Arsenal may join the hunt having recently utilised wing-backs for the first time in over 20 years.
There are some high-profile candidates out there and an ever-increasing emphasis on attack will determine the skill-set that scouts target. "As an example," Mackenzie adds, "I'd say that the Monaco pair of Djibril Sidibe and Benjamin Mendy would be ideal candidates as full-backs or wing-backs based on their athleticism and offensive output in the final third."
It's not only scouts on alert. Agents too, Antonio's and Walker's among them, are acutely aware of the market's potential this summer. The trickle-down effect of Chelsea's success could even see more lower league clubs attempting to ape their efforts. What's clear is that it is the job of the intermediaries to be ready to respond to the demands of the market.
Lee Philpott's own career as a winger at Leicester City was complicated by a switch to 3-5-2 in the 1990s. He has since launched his own football agency, LPM. "If I have an out-an-out winger it's my job to be aware of what clubs are looking for," Philpott tells Sky Sports. "There's no point in us trying to get a winger into a club playing wing-backs if they can't play the role.
"On the other hand, I have a number of full-backs who are very quick and are well-suited to a wing-back role. They also have the defensive qualities to play on the right of a three-man defence, so if a team is looking to play that shape then they can now play two positions there. It's adding value to a club if a potential signing can suddenly play more than one position."
Before long then, the supply will meet the demand. The market will adapt to the tactical demands of the coaches and their latest preferences. In the meantime, the Ian Salisburys of English football might just get the chance to spin an unexpected opportunity or two amid the scramble for a commodity that had fallen out of fashion for so long.
