I wasn't necessarily advocating getting him in to take over immediately next week if Kayal gets suspended (or injured) - he may well not be match fit at the moment (or he might be; frankly I don't know about that any more than I suspect you do) - but a 9 month contract as cover for our central...
I'm in the Crofts camp when it comes to replacing Kayal or Stephens when the time comes, and retaining the same set-up. His lack of game time is a bit worrying, though - I'm sure we're allowed to play (presumably a very limited number) of over-age players in the U21s (perhaps someone will be...
Kayal has, by most accounts, been a bit off the last two games anyway, so Crofts, even if not quite as good, is the obvious replacement (if fit - and that's a big if). He's unlikely to be fully match fit anyway, not having played for ages, so expect a change to 451 at 60 minutes, if not earlier...