Paul Dummett – Welcome to Wigan Athletic

Well, I thought I could have a break from these articles until January, but in typical Latics fashion things haven’t gone as expected!

Shaun Maloney and Gregor Rioch have scoured the free agent market and, in my opinion at least, have picked the best of the bunch in terms of left-sided defenders, bringing former-Newcastle United veteran Paul Dummett into the club on a short-term deal.

The 33-year-old will obviously act as a temporary replacement for injured star Luke Chambers, whose injury is mysteriously unknown in terms of severity and length. It appears the coaching staff were keen to ease the load on Luke Robinson, our only other natural left back, who has just returned from a lengthy absence. It was certainly a problem position for us.

Dummett probably won’t need much introduction to those of you who have followed the Premier League in recent years. He made nearly 200 appearances for his boyhood club across 14 years, and while game time became less regular for him in recent years he still proved his worth as an experienced head off the pitch.

I think it goes without saying that that is a crucial reason behind why I think this is a great signing for Latics. Adding a ‘been there, done it’ character to a squad of, on the whole, ‘yet to do it’ players is vital, and should go some way to improving our game management and composure in games.

In this, and every ‘Welcome to Wigan Athletic’ article that I post this season, I’ll be taking a closer look at all aspects of the new signing’s game. Their profile, where they’ve played before and how they’ve performed, their suitability to our club and our style of play, and a report on their best attributes as well of areas of their game that could hold them back. As best I can I’m going to try and provide you, the valued reader, with the best possible idea of what to expect from our recruits.

And as there’s no time like the present, here we go. Paul Dummett, you’re up to bat. Let’s see what you’ve got!

Profile

Strengths

Firstly, let’s get one thing straight. Paul Dummett played eight times for Newcastle last season across all competitions, so he’s clearly still got it. To continue to stick around at that club, given their financial muscle, shows that he is a top professional who still has plenty to offer on and off the pitch, and should be more than capable of adjusting to League One football.

The Welshman is a more old-school defender than the majority of full backs coming through nowadays, hence his transition to more of a centre back in recent years. Defensively he’s strong and brave in the tackle, and despite not being the biggest physically he’s still good when it comes to marking and duelling with players, on the ground or in the air.

I am of the opinion that the technical and psychological aspects of defending are considerably more important than the physical though, and also the last to leave you as you get older. In his prime Paul Dummett was the starting left back in a miserly Newcastle side under Rafa Benitez that won the Championship and stayed up comfortably in the Premier League. He knows what it takes to defend strongly, keep clean sheets and win games by any means necessary.

While I can’t say it for certain given his lack of games in recent years, I would still assume Dummett is a top-end Championship player when judged on his defensive ability. Sheffield United wanted to sign him in the summer, reportedly, so that suggests we could be getting a player capable of playing well above our current level.

On the ball he possesses enough quality to play how we’ll want him to play, as you’d expect from someone whose been in the best league in the world for over a decade. He won’t add as much dynamism as Chambers down that left flank, partly down to his age but also the fact that that isn’t his game. What he is though is adaptable, and has shown an ability to slot in and out of various systems and styles during his Newcastle career, even without a great deal of match sharpness at times.

What we can bank on is Dummett’s vast experience and understanding of what it takes to perform to high levels. He’s got more Premier League appearances than the rest of our squad combined, and he should be able to impart that on some of the younger lads in our squad. He’s captain material, and when you add in his footballing ability – which at the very, very least is top-end League One quality – it’s hard to argue with this signing!

Limitations

The main issue I can see with this signing won’t come as a surprise to anyone, albeit it’s an issue we can’t really avoid at this stage of the season. The reality of the situation is Paul Dummett hasn’t played a full 90 minutes since 01.11.2023, and has finished just four games since January 2022. You can dress that up however you like, that’s a concern given what we’re going to need from him.

Naturally I can’t say with any great detail what condition the 33-year-old keeps himself in away from football, but the fact he was reportedly close to a move in the summer would suggest that he must have been on the lookout for a club in the off season, and therefore must be on top of things from a fitness perspective.

That said, and this is something you’ll hear from anyone who has played the game to a decent standard, there’s a big difference between being physically fit and football fit. And the only way to get football fit is by playing matches consistently – something Dummett can’t say he’s done since the behind-closed-doors COVID season.

Therefore the biggest thing holding this back from being a top, top signing will be how quickly it takes him to get up to speed. If he’s playing 90s straight away and looks on it, it’ll be hard to see anything wrong with this signing beyond a few slight technical limitations going forward. He’s never registered an assist in his professional career, for example. Quite rare for a full back it must be said.

I would say that’s in part down to the systems he’s played in though, and not something I’m overly concerned by. I’m more interested in what he does for us off the ball really, because we’ve got other full backs who can add dynamism going forward. The main worries I have are around his fitness and how long it’ll take him to be ‘ready’, but those fears can be quickly squashed.

Potential Fit

Dummett’s versatility is a real plus point for us, and does keep the door open for a change to a back three. That said, that door was never really closed given the fact that both Chambers and Robinson are great options at LCB, so I guess we can work on the assumption that Shaun Maloney will continue to favour the 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 we’re currently playing, which is fair enough.

In that back four I can’t imagine Dummett playing anywhere other than at left back; partly down to the solidity of Jason Kerr and Will Aimson’s partnership, but also because his profile is more suited to that of a wide centre back rather than a wing back (in a back three), and a left back rather than a central centre back (in a back four).

Therefore, I think he really suits the ‘left back to left centre back’ that we’ve seen at times with James Carragher this season on the other side. It will take the load off Dummett to constantly look for the overlap, instead allowing him to play through the pitch to our central players while maintaining a solid defensive structure. It will also free up Steven Sessegnon and Calvin Ramsay, two natural wing back, to either invert or overlap depending on circumstance.

That shape will ultimately be what it would look like if we did change to the 3-4-3 system that served us well at points last season. I do think the lack of profiles akin to Charlie Hughes, Jordan Jones and Stephen Humphrys make this system less likely to work this season, but there are players who could into it.

The key thing with Paul Dummett though is he gives us options, and won’t limit what we can be able to do. Is it a shame that with Chambers’ injury we’re left with two defensive full backs rather than the nice balance we had when the Liverpool loanee was fit? Of course, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

I prefer to look at it this way. We now have a very clear profile of left back, and we know that when either one plays it will free up one of Calvin Ramsay or Steven Sessegnon to play on their natural side, and hopefully play their natural free-flowing games. This signing is great news for those two in that respect.

Final Thoughts

I’m really pleased that we’ve managed to get this deal done. When I heard we were in the market for a left back I did mention Paul Dummett’s name as a really good option, but in truth I didn’t think we’d be able to pull it off for a number of reasons. The fact that we’ve gone out and actually improved our squad rather than just signed a part-time filler is really impressive.

Of course he has only signed a short-term deal, as you’d expect for a 33-year-old, but that’s all we really need him for. If Luke Chambers returns to fitness he will be the starting left back, but in the mean time I see Dummett as that player. He’s a level above Luke Robinson, and can act as a great mentor to the youngster as he continues to try and break into our first team on a regular basis.

I can see the former-Newcastle man having as big an impact off the pitch as he does on it, driving high standards and providing a clear example of what it takes to play over 100 games in the Premier League. These kind of role models can’t be underestimated, and the fact that he’s still a high level player too can only be a bonus.

The key to this being a successful signing ultimately will be how quickly we can get him up to speed and playing regular minutes. If he struggles early on it will only ramp up the pressure on Robinson, Sessegnon and Ramsay to fill the void, but if he comes in and settles quickly it sorts out a real problem position for us, and enhances several other areas of the squad. Time will tell, I guess!

Welcome to Wigan Athletic, Paul Dummett. Up the Tics!