Sheffield Wednesday have been surprisingly linked with the Aston Villa player.
Sheffield Wednesday have been linked with a shock move for Aston Villa right-back Alan Hutton, with The Sun reporting the Owls hope to agree a fee with Villa and speak to the player on Tuesday.
But the speculation has not been well received by the Wednesday faithful, who have raised concerns about Hutton’s age [32] among other things.
Hutton, though, is not the only Championship full-back who could be available this summer, with Reading’s Chris Gunter said to be attracting interest from Middlesbrough, Leeds United and Villa [Teesside Gazette]. And, if the Owls are to target a new player in the Welshman’s position, they would be wise to consider him instead.
What’s Gunter got that Hutton hasn’t?
He’s four-and-a-half years younger for a start, with Hutton set to turn 33 later this year. He can also play comfortably on either side of the back four, which could be of use to Wednesday who often struggled there last season. While Gunter may have played 126 times less than Hutton at Premier League level [25], he does have 29 more international caps than the Scot [79].
So why would Reading sell him?
So fierce is the competition in England’s second tier, it’s hard to imagine too many direct transfers taking place between Championship clubs this summer – not least between two potential rivals for promotion. But according to The Teesside Gazette, Reading may not have a choice, with Gunter’s contract said to contain a £1 million release clause. That would be peanuts for Wednesday, and surely not too much more than would be on offer for Hutton.
But would he come to Hillsborough?
Even if said clause is triggered, it doesn’t necessarily mean will Gunter would leave Reading – and they could always offer him a new deal without one. Nevertheless, he may be tempted if, as expected, Daniel Williams and Ali Al Habsi depart – and/or he is offered more money. Even so, The Teesside Gazette reports the 27-year-old will demand regular first team football from any prospective buyer, so the Owls would first have to weigh up whether he’s an upgrade on the likes of Jack Hunt and Daniel Pudil before making an approach – and then beat off other interested clubs to land him.
Which right-back would you like Sheffield Wednesday to target this summer?
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