5 defenders Toronto FC could target as free agents

Toronto FC needs a new left-sided defender now that Nickson Gomis is out for the season after having surgery on his achilles tendon. With very little money available to spend, Jason Herndandez will have to get creative with how he adds those reinforcements in the upcoming transfer window. Signing free agents is the easiest way of adding players on the cheap, so here are 5 that I find the most intriguing for Toronto FC.

Luc De Fougerolles

Luc De Fougerolles's contract with Fulham is about to expire, and the Canadian international may be seeking a new club. He has reportedly garnered interest from another MLS side in the Vancouver Whitecaps. That's not the best path forward for De Fougerolles, though, in my opinion.

In that same article, Joshua Kloke mentioned his desire to play first-team football in England, and that will be more challenging to do if he comes back to North America, especially with how valuable domestic players are in MLS.

So, why not find a happy medium? De Fougerolles expressed a willingness to sign a new deal with Fulham if it was presented to him. If he does end up signing a new deal, joining a Toronto FC side that's thin at the back on loan for the rest of the season would give him the first team games he's craving, while also helping him learn how to play in North America in the summer ahead of next year's World Cup. This would also allow him to potentially secure another loan in the winter as teams look for injury reinforcements.

For Toronto FC, maybe you can figure out a way to attach an option to purchase to the loan to make De Fougerolles a U22 initiative next season, similar to what they have already done with Ola Brynhildsen and Maxime Dominguez. He'd add another domestic body at the back to help cover for the Gomis injury, and garner a bit more attention from Canadian fans as he gets regular minutes. It would also push players like Sigurd Rosted and Kevin Long further down the rotation so that they don't have to play week in and week out, while also allowing Henry Wingo to play in a more natural right-back position.

This wouldn't solve Toronto's left-footed CB problem, but De Fougerolles did show he was capable of playing on the left in the match against the Ivory Coast, and with the other CBs on the roster, they could get away with it until the end of the season.

Justin Hubner

Justin Hubner is a left-footed 21-year-old Dutch/Indonesian international defender who is departing Wolves' U21 team after captaining the side this season. Does that profile remind you of anyone on Toronto FC? If you said Nickson Gomis and Zane Monlouis, you'd be bang on.

Justin Hubner is the exact profile that Toronto FC has targeted for new CB signings in recent years. A player who's been a leader for his team, is looking for a new opportunity for first-team football, and has the physical tools to play in MLS.

This video does a good job of highlighting why he could be a fit for Toronto FC. He's capable of playing the ball with either foot, distributing either long to wingers or short to his full-backs, and has no problem playing as the deepest man. He feels like a younger version of Kevin Long, and I believe he would gain a lot from Long in regards to learning how to play as a safer center-back. He could be a good long-term solution at left full-back or left centre-back alongside Gomis and Monlouis. Even as a 3-back in future seasons, I believe that those three could be one of the most solid and intimidating backlines in MLS.

Tayo Adaramola

Tayo Adaramola is a 21-year-old left fullback who's out of contract with Crystal Palace's U21 team. The Irish/Nigerian spent last season on loan with Bradford in League Two, playing in 16 games, helping Bradford to promotion.

Adaramola would be a more natural left-back to take over for Raoul Petretta next season, and provide some depth at a position where TFC doesn't really have anyone apart from Petretta. Adaramola would be a risk, but on a reasonable, cheap contract, he could make a lot of sense as a younger bet that you can test through the end of the season.

Signing Adaramola (or any left-back) would allow Toronto to play Petretta at centre-back if they can't find a natural left-footed centre-back they like. This would be far from ideal because it's pretty clear at this point that Petretta doesn't fit as a centre-back, but, until the winter, this could provide a bit of depth to lessen the impact of losing Gomis for the rest of the season.

Bryan Hein

Bryan Hein is a 23-year-old German international who is out of contract with SSV Jahn Regensburg in the German 2nd division. A natural left-back, Hein also made appearances as a left-midfielder and left-wing at various points this past season.

According to FotMob's advanced stats, his defending and passing do leave something to be desired, but he's still young and could easily be massaged into a better defender. Based on those analytics, he strikes me as a similar player to Tyrese Spicer, which would make the fit a little awkward.

He played over 2000 minutes in the 2nd Bundesliga on a team that was relegated, which also isn't a fantastic selling point, but it could mean that a player who's still young at 23 is available and open to a move. Toronto hasn't had the best luck with players out of Germany (hello Terrance Boyd and Torsten Frings), but a 23-year-old depth add could change that narrative if the club can mould him into a serviceable left-back/left-midfielder. It wasn't long ago that Kai Wagner was playing in the lower tiers of Germany, and look at him now.

Baïla Diallo

Baïla Diallo is a 24-year-old Senegalese left-back who will be out of contract with Clermont Foot (French 2nd division) in July. Making 31 appearances last season, he helped Claremont avoid relegation in back-to-back years.

Based on his FotMob page, he strikes me as more of a natural left-back compared to Bryan Heim, which would suit Toronto's need for a left-sided defensive player. Having someone more experienced and comfortable at left-back, as opposed to someone more offensively inclined like Spicer or Derrick Etienne Jr., would add important depth behind Petretta and allow for both of those players to play in a more comfortable attacking position.

Toronto needs someone that they can mold into what they want their left-sided defender to be, and Diallo makes a lot of sense as a not-quite-in-his-prime, more defensively experienced/responsible full-back. I could see him working like Chris Mavinga did when he joined Toronto, but at left-back vs left-centre-back. Toronto needs a contingency plan for if/when Petretta departs the club, and adding a player like Diallo, who they can mold into what they want that player to be for next season, makes a lot of sense.

Honourable Mentions: