2 free agents AFC Wimbledon must try sign ft ex-Huddersfield Town star | OneFootball

FLW suggests two free agents for AFC Wimbledon and Johnnie Jackson to sign up to complete their summer signings after a quiet deadline day

The summer of 2025 for AFC Wimbledon and boss Johnnie Jackson was almost perfect, with the side coming out of the transfer window overall, a lot stronger.

However, it has to be said that it was not an A-Grade window, with there being two crucial signings missing that are needed if the Dons want to compete in League One, and not sink to the relegation zone.

So, to combat that, here at FLW, we have come up with two free agents that the Dons can pick up now the window has shut and complete their squad.

Josh Ruffels - LWB

Already mentioned a week or so ago as a potential signing by FLW, ex-Huddersfield Town star Ruffels would be a key signing for the Dons and complete their defence.

Having added quality to replace Owen Goodman in between the sticks in the form of Nathan Bishop and retained the impregnable back three of Ryan Johnson, who signed a new deal, Joe Lewis and Riley Harbottle, all that was left was to replace the wing-backs, following the departures of James Tilley and Josh Neufville on free transfers.

Wing-backs are key in Jackson’s system and having lost arguably his two best players from last season, many felt that it would be an area of the squad that would only become weaker.

However, that could not be further from the truth. Early on in the window, Jackson brought back left-wing back Steve Seddon for his third spell at the club, on a one-year deal, and then before the start of the season against Luton Town, he added Nathan Asiimwe on the right-hand side on loan from Charlton Athletic.

Since then, he has also added Brodi Hughes as back-up on that right-hand side, giving Wimbledon two emerging talents in the English game on one flank, but leaving them a little short of depth on Seddon’s side.

With how much Jackson’s system asks of its wing-backs, rotation is going to be key, and while the likes of Aron Sasu could step in and provide the cover, it is not his natural position and could leave the Dons exposed if he is playing against a good quality opponent.

Ruffels, though, could be that depth option that Jackson needs to help rotate Seddon and maintain fitness throughout the squad. Further to this, he adds plenty of League One experience and good output from that position, which is what Jackson is going to be looking for in any option that would provide him with depth.

Ben Stevenson - CM/DM

The other position needed that wasn’t added to during the window was in midfield, primarily in defensive midfield.

While the Dons did re-sign Alistair Smith following his loan spell, and added the youthful Delano McCoy-Splatt too, both add to the more attacking side of the midfield alongside Myles Hippolyte and Callum Maycock.

Which means that Jake Reeves is ultimately left with no cover in his role deeper in the midfield, with the only other candidate able to step in being Sam Hutchinson, who was re-signed too, but is currently facing fitness issues stemming back to his health scare at the end of last season and is looking to be used more in the defensive unit instead of the engine room of midfield.

Ben Stevenson, therefore, could come into the squad and provide that option deeper in the midfield as a play-maker or ball-winner.

Having spent the past few seasons playing across all EFL divisions, he certainly has the experience that would be craved by Jackson when it comes to any new additions.

And having completed 17 games last season in a Cambridge United side that battled until the end to unsuccessfully avoid relegation, he has recent playing time with a club nearer the bottom of the league, somewhere that Wimbledon could very likely end up.

His numbers on paper do not provide the prettiest of reading, with him last having scored a goal back in the 2023/24 season when he was at Portsmouth, but he does come with the reputation of being a midfield workhorse that can do the gritty work in midfield, which at points in this season, Wimbledon will certainly need.

It will be interesting to see in the immediacy after the window if Jackson does continue to dig into the free agent market once again, as he did with the recent signing of Patrick Bauer, as there is an argument that the Dons’ quiet deadline day indicates that Jackson and his backroom staff are satisfied with how their squad is shaped at this stage.

However, it has to be said that if Jackson does want a 10/10 for his performance in the window from fans, he should probably look to sign the players suggested above to complete the Dons’ League One challengers and signal intent to stay at this level for a long time to come.