Blackpool have made a positive start to the window - but filling big hole needs to be the next priority

Opinion: Blackpool’s summer window burst into life earlier this week - but there’s one area in particular that needs addressing before work elsewhere is done.

A problem for the Seasiders at times last season was their defensive fragility, with some cheap goals given away throughout the campaign.

In terms of the personnel in the back four, there were plenty of good options, but consistency as a unit let them down.

Olly Casey was Blackpool’s standout player with his performances at the heart of the defence, but he had to settle into several different partnerships due to a number of reasons.

It seemed just as the 24-year-old was settled into one central pairing, injury would cause disruption and that building process would start again.

New additions show change of strategy

Looking back at the players who partnered Casey, it was a pretty youthful pool to pick from when looking at loanees Elkan Baggott and Odel Offiah.

The two opening signings of this summer shows a clear change of strategy, which has Steve Bruce’s influence written all over it.

Fraser Horsfall (28) and Michael Ihiekwe (32) both come with bags of experience, and are still very much in the prime of their careers.

They both know the EFL and League One well - which will only better those around them, and could help to take Casey’s game to another level.

Last season, Horsfall was part of a team that reached the play-offs in the third tier, while Ihiekwe has won promotion to the Championship four times throughout his career.

It’s clear the Seasiders mean business with these additions, but there’s still plenty more work to do, and there’s only one place to start.

The biggest hole currently in the Blackpool squad

Obviously we’re still only at the beginning of June, so there’s no concerns to be had about the squad looking light in certain areas, but that doesn’t mean one position shouldn’t be prioritised over others when it comes to the next signing.

Blackpool currently lack a senior goalkeeper of any form, with youngster Harvey Bardsley being the only shot stopper on the books.

This is due to Harry Tyrer’s loan from Everton coming to an end, and both Richard O’Donnell and Mackenzie Chapman being released at the end of their contracts.

The departure of Dan Grimshaw last August probably caught the Seasiders off-guard, and prompted them to make a temporary addition instead of finding a new permanent number one - which would’ve been difficult given the timing.

This summer is a chance to rectify that problem, and should be looking for two strong options who can fight it out for the number one jersey.

It’s one of those positions where the longer they leave, the more difficult it could become to get the type of profile they want.

Should Blackpool go back in for Everton loanee

Obviously, given his loan spell at Bloomfield Road, the Seasiders already know Tyrer pretty well.

Except for a few silly mistakes in the final few weeks of the campaign, the 23-year-old’s overall growth was clear to see.

The errors he made in the latter stages can be easily fixed, it was his shortcomings following his initial arrival that were the concern - but he appeared to have addressed them from January onwards.

There was probably enough development from Tyrer for the club to justify bringing him back. After giving him that exposure to the EFL, and sticking by him through the tough times, Blackpool should want to benefit from his future progression. If a deal could be done with Everton, then it probably should.

Equally, the search for a new keeper should also include a number of names with a larger bank of League One games under their belt.

Experience has been added to the back four, so they follow that blueprint for the man they want to play behind them.

With the department having so many vacancies this summer, the Seasiders could also look to the loan market again and add a Premier League youngster who’s looking for some senior game time.

A name that stands out from that category is Liverpool’s Harvey Davies - purely because of his impressive performance at Bloomfield Road in the EFL Trophy last season.

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