2 Premier League targets that should be on AFC Wimbledon’s radar this week | OneFootball

With the Premier League starting back up, top tier sides will be sending their youngsters on loan, and Wimbledon could snap up some cheap talent

Key Takeaways

AFC Wimbledon's transfer window has been a success so far, with the club using the loan market well to bolster areas they have lost key players in.

However, the market still remains open and Johnnie Jackson could now utilise the fact that the Premier League has started again to bring in some highly-rated prospects on loan from the English top division.

He has already bought in Owen Goodman from Crystal Palace to fill the void that Alex Bass left following the end of his loan last season, but the Dons still remain light at left wing-back and could use a wildcard in midfield to bring something different to games.

Moving for Premier League targets late in the window is a familiar strategy in the EFL, here are two the South West Londoners could go for...

Jack Wells-Morrison

Crystal Palace midfielder Jack Wells-Morrison is yet to make his senior debut for his boyhood side but has impressed at youth level.

Having been brought up as a Palace fan and joined the club at just six years old, he will want to make his breakthrough soon, but before that, Palace boss Oliver Glasner and the Eagles hierarchy may want him to gain some experience in men's football and Wimbledon could be the perfect club.

The 20-year-old is described as "a multi-faceted midfielder who is just as comfortable sitting deep as he is in an attacking role," and that is the exact midfielder that the Dons are going to perhaps want in and around the squad.

Currently, they do not possess a refined mix of midfielders, with only the likes of Jake Reeves and Callum Maycock suited to more deep-lying roles, and the likes of Ali Smith, James Ball and Morgan Williams better when progressing the ball forward. Therefore, adding Wells-Morrison into the mix may just do the trick for the Dons and perfect their midfield.

His numbers at youth level, paired with the high regard that Palace hold him in, suggest Jackson would certainly do well to bring him in to feature in what the Dons hope will be a strong campaign despite some early-season struggles.

Benjamin Fredrick

Brentford youngster Benjamin Fredrick, who only recently joined the Bees' development side, Brentford B, permanently and played very well during his pre-season appearances, could bolster Jackson's defensive options.

Ironically, he played in the second half of Brentford's 5-2 thrashing of Wimbledon at Plough Lane, and even though he did not have a whole lot to do, he did make sure his cameo was easy on the eye and impressive.

Though he can play as a right-sided defender, he was substituted on in place of starting left-back Finlay Stevens in that friendly and would go on to feature again against Portuguese giants Benfica just five days later having clearly impressed Thomas Frank.

It is not the first time that the Nigerian youth international has made a positive impression on the Danish manager, with Fredrick training with the first team at times during the 2023/24 season and even making the bench for some of Brentford's fixtures at the tail-end of last season.

Fredrick has not played nearly as many games or gained as many minutes in youth football as Wells-Morrison, meaning a first loan spell in League Two may be throwing him in at the deep end. However, that does not mean he has not impressed on a big stage.

Only last year he played a big role in Nigeria U-20s making the U20 World Cup final, gaining rave reviews for his performances against Italy in the victory over Italy in the group stages, and over Argentina in the round of 16.

As well as his brilliant U20 World Cup campaign, he also excited in six appearances at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations where Nigeria finished third overall and backed up why he has featured so heavily at U20 level since being just 17.

Like Wells-Morrison, his lack of senior minutes means this loan will be a risky choice if Jackson does choose to bring him in. However, his talents have been showcased at international level and the Dons have had some brilliant loans from the Bees in the past, with the likes of Marcus Forss and Nathan Young-Coombes being particular favourites, so if Fredrick can endear himself quickly, then he will be greatly welcomed addition in an almost perfect defensive unit.