Opinion: Rotherham United should turn to experienced centre-back to solve defensive crisis
With the Millers suffering from massive defensive injuries, Matt Taylor should make a play for an experienced Spanish free agent
HIGHLIGHTS
- Â Rotherham United’s achievement of staying in the Championship for a second straight season was a feel-good story, but their start to the 2023-24 season has been less-than impressive.
- Â The team is currently second-bottom of the league with only one win in 11 matches.
- Â Rotherham is facing a crisis in defense due to injuries, and they should consider signing free agent Daniel Ayala as a potential short-term solution.
Rotherham United’s achievement of staying in the Championship for a second straight season – something which they have not been accustomed to in recent times – was one of the feel-good stories of the 2022-23 campaign.
Deserted by long-term manager Paul Warne last September just over a month into the season, the Millers had to go back to square one, and they ended up landing on Matt Taylor of Exeter City.
The Grecians head coach arrived at the New York Stadium and, perhaps against all the odds, he led the Yorkshire outfit to Championship safety.
There are now worries though that United may struggle in the 2023-24 season, as their start to the campaign has been less-than impressive.
After 11 matches, Rotherham sit second-bottom of the league with only Sheffield Wednesday below them, and just one win has been picked up, which came against Norwich City back in August.
In the midst of their early season struggles though, there is a bit of a crisis in defence that is plaguing Taylor and his options at the back.
Against Southampton in their great 1-1 draw at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday, Grant Hall and Lee Peltier – two experienced defenders who have only just returned from injuries themselves – were the only options that Taylor had at his disposal.
Tyler Blackett’s recent hamstring injury is set to put him on the shelf for months, and Cameron Humphreys will be out for longer. It looks like a tear to the same muscle, whilst Sean Morrison has also been injured too.
It all means that if Rotherham can, they should be looking into potential free agent options, even if a deal lasts only for a couple of months until January, and the perfect fit could be Daniel Ayala.
Who is Daniel Ayala?
An experienced, no-nonsense defender, Ayala has been in English football since the age of 16 when swapping Sevilla for Liverpool.
It was only really when moving to Middlesbrough in 2013 though, when the centre-back was 22, that he started to really show his true self, putting down roots on Teesside and spending nearly seven years with Boro.
Playing 229 times for Middlesbrough and scoring 26 goals, Ayala then moved to Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer, spending three years in Lancashire.
Niggling injuries and fitness concerns, though, would mean that Ayala wouldn’t ever make more than 25 league appearances in a season for Rovers, and he now finds himself as a free agent and looking for a new club.
Would Daniel Ayala sign for Rotherham?
Still at the age of 32, it would be a shock if Ayala wasn’t still hoping for a Championship outfit to come in for him.
Ayala will still feel like he has something to offer at this level of the English game, and the fact he racked up his highest tally of matches for Blackburn in a season in 2022-23 – 26 to be precise – is a positive.
It’s hard to ignore that Ayala has struggled with some injuries in the last few years, but when he does get himself fit and available, the experienced defender is an asset in the Championship.
And yes, the last thing Rotherham probably need is an injury-prone, fitness-lacking centre-back who could end up on the sidelines, but taking a short-term gamble on Ayala, if he’s up for the challenge, could be a masterstroke for a club that is in desperate need of defensive reinforcements.
