Firstly, an apology to Dom. A year ago, I checked the spelling of his name and confidently got it wrong. For a full season, I have been omitting an ‘e’ from his name.
I’ve even been telling other outlets they spell his name wrong. Ouch.
Right, now we have that out of the way, I’d like to talk about Dom Jefferies. Why? I feel there are parallels between him and Anthony Scully from a few years ago. I never knew where Scully should be playing; I just knew he should be playing. The same goes for Dom. He had a good season, ended prematurely, and yet I can’t put my finger on where he looked best. Sure, he played a lot at left wing back, but we don’t play with one of those now.
So, where does he fit in this season? To cover it properly, I think we need to break down some facts, and some stats.
The Stats
Dom demonstrated remarkable versatility for City across the 2024/25 season, occupying a range of positions including left attacking midfielder, left and right wing back, right back, central midfield and even occasional forward role (Huddersfield, 2-2 he came on in an advanced role). However, his most frequent deployment came on the left flank, predominantly as a left wing-back and left attacking midfielder.
From a statistical standpoint, his key metrics align more closely with those expected of a wing-back or dynamic box-to-box midfielder rather than a pure attacking winger, which poses questions this season. In terms of physical contribution, he maintained a pass accuracy of 65–75% in many matches. His duels per game were consistently high, with frequent returns of 15+ contested duels—an indicator of high work rate and defensive effort typical of a wide player with tracking responsibilities.
As a left-sided operator, Dom regularly contributed in progressive areas, averaging between 20 and 30 passes per match, with some higher figures when stationed centrally. His crossing frequency and dribble attempts remained relatively low, suggesting he was more involved in combination play and transitional actions than delivering final balls or beating defenders one-on-one.
He contributed sporadically in terms of direct goal output. His xG and xA (that’s expected assists, for the haters) figures remained modest, with only a handful of shots or chances created per match. When deployed as an attacking midfielder, these numbers slightly improved as you’d expect, such as against Crawley in March, where he posted 0.76 xG and four shots, but this was an exception rather than a trend.
Defensively, he consistently posted interception and tackle numbers associated with wide defensive players. In several matches, especially against higher-calibre opponents, he recorded more than 10 duels won, with tackle success rates ranging from 40–70%, again aligning more with wing-back or full-back expectations than creative midfielders.
In summary, last season, Dom operated most often on the left side in roles demanding both defensive discipline and transitional support. While not a prolific creator or goalscorer, his output aligns well with the demands of a modern wing-back: consistent duelling, solid passing, and positional flexibility.
2025/26
That brings us to this season. Dom is fighting to be fit again after a couple of operations over the summer, operations I think we were aware he needed for much of the last campaign. I get the feeling he was a risk against reward signing, and that’s something the club haven’t sung about. However, if there were any doubts about his fitness which helped facilitate his move, he shrugged them off, and appears soon to be ready and raring to go this time out.
But where? In a 4-2-3-1, where does he play? It feels like left wing is a possibility, and we shouldn’t forget he did play there after we shifted formation – a goal and assist against Crawley marked him out as a player who could perform out wide.
That said, breaking down his stats and there are some that point to a grafter and a fighter, a player with defensive capabilities. Left back? Possibly, although there is no doubt we’re trying to sign a player of that ilk, and so perhaps he could be considered more as cover, rather than a first-team player. He can play on either flank defensively, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he did turn out in the wide defensive areas, even if it’s in the EFL Trophy at first towards the end of his rehabilitation.
2023/24
However, there is another option, and to understand this, we need to go back to 2023/24. He was at Gillingham that campaign, and at the end of the season, he was reportedly being eyed by Hibs, Millwall and Fehervar. Okay, I know the report falls foul of the rule of three, but still, the link was there. That season, he did not play wing back, left back or right back. He played midfield.
During the 2023/24 season, Dom showcased his adaptability by operating across multiple midfield roles—primarily as a left central midfielder, left attacking midfielder, and defensive midfielder. His performances were characterised by solid pass accuracy, regularly achieving rates between 80–90%, particularly when playing centrally. Jefferies offered consistency in ball progression, often averaging 30–50 completed passes per game, with peak output above 70 in deep midfield roles.
While not a prolific scorer (one goal and one assist), he contributed occasionally to build-up and attacking transitions, reflected in a handful of xG contributions and attacking third entries. Defensively, he was effective in duels and interceptions, frequently involved in over 10 duels per game, and registered multiple tackles or recoveries in several outings.
Those numbers and that profile do seem suited to a holding midfield role, and in our 4-2-3-1, we know there are a couple of places up for grabs. He’ll be duelling with McGrandles, Hamilton, Bayliss and Erhahon, but it feels like it might be a strong position for him.
Conclusion
Like much of the squad, game time is not guaranteed for Dom next season, but the same can be said for 80% of the 28-man squad. Nobody has an assured place outside of perhaps James Collins, Ethan Erhahon, George Wickens and Tendayi Darikwa, with a handful of others likely to be considered first-teamers (Jovon and Sonny Bradley come to mind). Outside of that, it’s going to be a scrap for minutes, and Dom has versatility in his favour.
I pondered at the start of the article where his best position might be, and 1,000 words later I have come to the same conclusion I did for Anthony Scully. I don’t know. What I do know is we saw enough last season to know he’s a strong squad presence with a good chance of forcing first-team minutes.
Where that is remains to be seen.