Two Championship clubs, Leeds United and Wigan Athletic, are being linked with the Everton defender Matthew Pennington.
Matthew Pennington remains highly rated at Everton. There’s a reason why he trained with Marco Silva’s first-team in pre-season after all.
So The Toffees must seriously consider what to do with Pennington before the end of August. He is unlikely to get regular game time at Goodison Park with Yerry Mina and Kurt Zouma arriving so a loan move makes sense. But only at a club where he is going to play regularly.
So sending the 23-year-old back to Leeds United makes little sense.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reported last week that Leeds wanted to bring the defender back to Elland Road, despite the fact that he never really set the world alight during a 2017/18 campaign in West Yorkshire.
Pennington started just 15 Championship games last season. And with Pontus Jansson, Liam Cooper and Gaetano Berardi all potentially ahead of him in the pecking order, the youngster would perhaps be better off at Wigan instead.
The Liverpool Echo claimed that The Latics too had made an enquiry. And considering how new signing Cedric Kipre has started the season at his new club, Pennington could be a welcome addition for a Wigan side that looks worryingly unstable since their return to the second tier.
If Everton and Pennington are to benefit, first-team exposure at Wigan could be even more beneficial than working under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds. As the Yorkshire Evening Post says, Leeds want Pennington as cover while, at Wigan, he would be a key part of Paul Cook’s squad.
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