Where Would You Have Couplings Welded In A Keggle?

I have 3 holes drilled in three sanke kegs about 2" from the bottom of the tank (not the skirt), centered between the holes of the skirt. I am making all three alike, for versatility. One for valve, one for thermometer, one for sight glass. I'm thinking of cutting up some stainless sheet metal I have, for patching the holes, at least the two on the fronts of the kegs, to be rid of the heat escaping from the burners.

But since I can get the welding done free, I feel like I should be adding some couplings for ports near the top, for recirculation returns, and not have to go thru getting anything else welded again. I am planning on 10 gallon batches with an occasional 5 gallon batch for recipe tweaking. This will be a single tier, pumped rig. I will be using the cutouts from the top as lids.

I have in mind going to simple automation for temperature control later on; PID controls for set it and forget it.

Would you:

A) put the additional higher mounted couplings in the 'middle' of the fronts of the kegs, or slightly offset to one side or the other? Should this be welded above the roughly 14 gallon level or is below waterline not an issue?

or:

B) put a coupling in the very top, near the skirt, and run a hose or dedicated plumbing thru the handle opening?

I am re-using the tops for lids, too. However, I plan on putting any ports directly into the lid for simplicity. Then, I can put a copper circular sparge arm mounted directly to the underside of the lid, with a quick disconnect on the coupling welded to the top.

Just my idea at this point, but I thought you would like the input.
I assume that you someone who has already done their build would be able to give you a more insightful response.