Bolton Star In, Gary Hooper Out – 2 Transfers Sheffield Wednesday Could Complete In January

2 Transfers Sheffield Wednesday Could Complete In January

Sheffield Wednesday, much like Reading and Fulham, will have expected a similar season to last time and being firmly in and around the Championship play-off positions.

Instead, they have struggled and find themselves in a rather disappointing 14th place with 27 points from 21 games and in need of some fresh impetus.

Players will undoubtedly come and go during a potentially busy January for Carlos Carvalhal, though rumours on that front are hard to come by given the club like to keep such business closely guarded.

That said, there are a couple of moves on the horizon and here we look at one potential incoming and one potential sale:

Josh Vela (Bolton Wanderers, In)

Premier League side Brighton are also monitoring the situation regarding Vela, while Championship rivals Leeds United and Derby County have also been alerted to the potential availability of the midfielder.

Vela has eighteen months left on his contract at Bolton, though the club seem to realise that he wouldn’t be quite as big a miss given that he has only made 11 appearances this season due to his two-month absence due to an ankle injury.

That being the case, Bolton wouldn’t feel that their current situation in terms of squad availability has been weakened massively and they can also bring in some much needed cash.

Vela would add some new energy to the Owls’ midfield and so a bid may be forthcoming as soon as the window opens.

Gary Hooper (Premier League, Out)

 

Wednesday are facing a battle to keep striker Hooper, with the former Celtic man being a potential target for Brighton, Crystal Palace and West Brom in January. Hooper has netted 10 goals in 20 Championship matches this season, including two in the club’s highlight of the season; their 3-0 win against Leeds United.

Crystal Palace are in desperate need of new blood after starting the season dreadfully, the Eagles are still favourites for relegation now despite the presence of former England manager Roy Hodgson. They have some quality out wide and in midfield with the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Yohan Cabaye. However, to avoid the drop they will need a proper goal scorer, especially with Christian Benteke not having scored since May.

West Brom are also looking for striking reinforcements and have been linked with ex-Wolves striker Benik Afobe who is currently at Bournemouth. Brighton also have Newcastle target man Aleksandar Mitrovic on their radar though the Serb would not come cheap and maybe a move for Hooper would make more sense for the Premier League side, as he would be a cheaper option.