AFC Wimbledon: Johnnie Jackson should be preparing two-player loan switch in January | OneFootball

Josh Kelly has struggled to get into the team so far this season, and has failed to find form, so a loan move in January could be on the cards

It will soon be almost twelve months since Josh Kelly was signed by AFC Wimbledon as part of the replacement plan following the loss of Ali Al-Hamadi to Ipswich Town.

And despite the support and wishes of many fans to do well, find form, score goals and settle at the club, his first in the EFL, it just has not happened.

So, with the January transfer window just around the corner, it might be a sensible move for all if Johnnie Jackson finds a loan move for Kelly, and brings in some attacking talent on a temporary deal.

Josh Kelly needs to find his feet away from AFC Wimbledon

Suffice to say, it has just not been the twelve months that Kelly, or indeed anyone of a Wimbledon persuasion, would have hoped for upon his signing.

Having seen his highlights reel, many were expecting a pacy, fox-in-the-box type striker, who was all action and could score goals from pretty much anything, a rarity to find in football.

However, that 'scoring goals from anywhere' has been quite the opposite, with the former Solihull Moors striker just not finding the net and clearly at a loss for confidence.

He did have two perfect opportunities, on one of his first appearances at Plough Lane, to open his account for the club, but, as some fans may be able to recall, he was snuffed out twice by the keeper, and from there it just has not got too much better.

There was the double against Tranmere Rovers at the tail end of last season, and the well-taken goal against Bromley in the Carabao Cup this season, but apart from that, the 25-year-old has not found the net, or any consistent gametime, or any of the lost confidence that he once had. He did have a good pre-season, scoring two goals, including a brilliant finish against Charlton Athletic, but as any learned football fan will tell you, nothing can be taken from friendly matches.

So what needs to happen for Kelly to find his confidence, first and foremost, but also some consistent form that can convince the Dons and Jackson that he is worth another shot?

Well, while a cut-throat, business-first club whose fans share the same mentality, may simply say "sell him", Wimbledon fans are of a slightly different viewpoint. Most fans are aware that a large amount of money was spent on Kelly, and to simply cut losses while already in debt due to the building of Plough Lane, would be a foolish and reactionary thing to do in the transfer market.

Instead, what should occur is the offering of the striker out on a loan deal until the end of the season, giving him a chance to begin to find the net again, perhaps at a lower level, and more importantly, get the gametime and confidence back that he has clearly lost while being with Wimbledon.

Ideally, he would go to a National League side, preferably one of those that are currently fighting it out near the top, and perhaps local too. However, if he does truly want to test himself and get Jackson's attention, then maybe going to a struggling League Two side and seeing if he can spark a change could be a good move to make.

Where AFC Wimbledon could turn if Kelly heads out on loan

While it is quite easy to state that Kelly needs to head out on loan to find his feet again, it is a bit more difficult working out who is going to replace the attacker.

There is a balance between the four strikers currently, with the pairings of Matty Stevens and Omar Bugiel, and Joe Pigott and Kelly offering the same 'little striker, big striker' dynamic, but each individual does have their own unique talents that are brought to the team, and if the latter were to depart from the quartet, then the chemistry and competition may feel a little broken up and disjointed.

That is why the easy answer to the dilemma would be to simply put faith in the offerings of the academy and, in particular, Aron Sasu.

The Croydon-born Norweigan has featured in attack throughout his youth team days, and even during his mini-breakthroughs into the first team, he was playing further forward.

However, during pre-season, he was moved back into a left wing-back role that seemed to suit him well, meaning some of the attacking nous may have been lost. Add to this the fact he has been out injured indefinitely since the start of the season, and it becomes obvious why entrusting him with taking over from Kelly in that position may not be the most ideal solution.

Instead, Wimbledon, despite their slight financial restrictions, should look to bring in a loan of their own, with the name of Jemiah Umolu being a player that the Dons could target.

The 19-year-old is currently at the Crystal Palace academy, and so far this season, he has netted nine goals in the ten appearances he has made in the competitions that Palace's youth setup currently compete in.

Not only has he been consistently finding the net and sitting atop the current Premier League 2's scoring charts, topping it with eight goals, but he has also netted against League Two opposition during this campaign, scoring against Gillingham in the EFL Trophy during a 3-1 win.

The young Englishman does seem an even more attainable target when you take into consideration the fact that on Jackson's first-team staff, Dave Reddington, the current first-team coach, originally coached at Crystal Palace and has likely got a plethora of contacts there. Add to this that Owen Goodman is also on loan from Palace and is, at present, one of many stars within the Dons' team, and it does make the club an exciting prospect to join from a player such as Umolu.

All that said, the fact is that Kelly has not gone anywhere yet and does not look to be being ousted by Jackson. He will likely have plenty more run-outs late on in games between now and when the window opens, as well as a potential full 90 minutes against Dagenham and Redbridge in the FA Cup second round, which Wimbledon reached by beating MK Dons 2-0 away from home.

And if it is the case that he does do well in that game, and looks to kick on, then there is no doubt that he can still play a role at Wimbledon, and finally establish himself as the player many hoped he would turn out to be following his move to the Dons and the EFL.