Ipswich Town expert on what Blackpool fans can expect from new recruit Dominic Thompson

The defender, who turns 22 today, will provide some much-needed depth to Blackpool’s full-back positions, something they’ve been crying out for all summer.

Prior to Thompson’s move, Luke Garbutt was the club’s only fit left-back on the books, with James Husband still sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Thompson arrives at an ideal time given the Championship gets underway on Saturday, with the Seasiders hosting Reading on the opening day.

The Arsenal academy graduate has plenty of experience to his name already, having made 19 appearances for Brentford’s first-team before spending time out on loan with both Swindon Town and Ipswich Town.

The right-back made 17 appearances for the Tractor Boys in League One last season, a spell which earned mixed reviews from Ipswich fans.

But to find out more about his time at Portman Road, The Gazette spoke with the East Anglian Daily Times’ Ipswich writer Andy Warren.

What sort of player are Blackpool getting?

“I think he got a bit of a raw deal here from the Ipswich fans to be honest, because he split opinion,” he told The Gazette.

“For me, he was a pretty solid left-back who could play a little bit.

“The problem was, Ipswich were playing this slightly lopsided formation which meant Wes Burns, the old Fleetwood player, was essentially a right wing-back playing on the wing at times doing everything.

“He was the focal point of the team, everything went through him and he was brilliant. He had assists, goals, everything.

“I think everybody was looking at the left side and asking why Thompson wasn’t doing the same, but that wasn’t really the plan.

“People were expecting a goal machine from left wing-back who could get involved in assists all the time, but nobody was ever going to do that really.

“But I quite liked him, he was solid enough. He was decent on the ball, he’s strong, he’s athletic and he can get forward. He grew into his loan a little bit, so I think he will do fine for Blackpool.”

He’s still only young, so does he have the potential to improve?

“I think it’s good for him that it’s a permanent deal rather than a loan, because he was coming into the last year of his contract at Brentford so he needed a new home.

“In a back four, I think he’s got quite a lot of the tools for what you need. He’s just not quite at the level where you want him to be the focal point of your attacking play, but Appleton doesn’t need him to be.

“In one of his last games for Brentford he played against Manchester City in the Premier League and he was the Man of the Match, so he’ll still have his eyes on making that level again eventually.

“He’s just a pretty solid player. He has his good days where he’s more involved getting up and down, then he has his more solid days where he’s more compact and stays back.

“I think he could even slip inside and play on the left of a back three as well if he was ever needed to do that.

“I think he will do the trick.”