Aiden McGeady
According to Sunderland Echo, Sheffield Wednesday has been credited with an interest in out-of-favour Sunderland winger Aiden McGeady, who has been deemed surplus to requirements by Black Cats boss Phil Parkinson.
The 33-year-old still has 18 months left to run on his current deal at Wearside but the Irishman has been demoted to train with the cub’s U23 side.
Championship sides Middlesbrough and Hull City have also expressed an interest in securing the winger’s services while League One rivals Blackpool are also rumoured to be in the race to sign the veteran during the mid-season trading period. (h/t Sunderland Echo)
McGeady has chipped in with 4 goals and 2 assists in 15 League One appearances so far this term for Sunderland, who currently sit 13th in the standings, four points adrift of the top-six with two games in hand.
Those numbers make for some decent readings but Parkinson is still prepared to wield the axe on arguably the most technically-gifted player in the English third-tier.
The former Republic of Ireland international, who joined Sunderland on a permanent deal from Everton back in 2017 after spending time on loan at Preston and Sheffield Wednesday, has clocked up a total of 98 appearances for the Black Cats across all competitions, scoring 27 goals and laying on a further 13 assists.
Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday have slipped down to 8th in the standings following a blip at the turn of the year that has seen the Owls suffer three consecutive defeats at the hands of Stoke City, Cardiff City and Hull City.
Despite that, however, the Owls are still only a couple of points adrift of the top-six and are in the playoff mix after a strong first half of the campaign.
A tally of 37 goals scored and 26 conceded in 26 games so far is enough to suggest that Wednesday don’t need to make wholesale changes but bringing in fresh faces to possibly improve the current squad would be wise.
To put things into perspective, Aiden McGeady boasts of a wealth of top-level experience under his belt and Sheffield Wednesday would bag a real coup if they manage to beat off competition from their Championship rivals in the race to sign the veteran Irish wing wizard.
A veteran of over 450 career appearances, McGeady might be nearing the autumn of his professional career at 33 but his performances in the third-tier suggest that he still has what it takes to make a big difference for any promotion-chasing team in the Championship.
As per whoscored, McGeady has already racked up three Man of The Match awards at Sunderland this season, averaging 1.4 key passes, 1.5 tackles, 1.7 dribbles and 0.5 crosses per game, figures which lie testament to the fact that he hasn’t done his reputation any harm.
As as as the Owls are concerned, Monk can certainly do with more depth and quality in the wide areas of the pitch to boost the club’s promotion hopes.
Adam Reach and Kadeem Harris have been the preferred options on either side of the pitch for the manager, with Newcastle United loanee Jacob Murphy struggling to find his feet at Hillsborough and only playing a bit-part role.
The Owls don’t really have too much depth out wide beyond that, and it is easy to see why McGeady could be an instant upgrade on the club’s existing options while also increasing competition for places and adding value to the ranks with his experience.
Having said that, Sheffield Wednesday should go all out in their pursuit of Aiden McGeady in January if they are really serious about emulating the promotion feat of their cross-town rivals, Sheffield United.
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