Could Sheffield Wednesday call in a favour from West Bromwich Albion, Bournemouth or Brighton & Hove Albion?
A new winger will likely feature highly on Sheffield Wednesday fans’ Christmas lists this year – and, crucially, one who has pace.
But with financial fair play rules expected to choke them once more, a loan move could be the Owls’ best bet.
Luckily, there are plenty of Premier League wide men not playing as often as they would have liked this season. And here are three that Carlos Carvalhal’s side should target.
Oliver Burke (West Brom)
Aim high and work down. Burke has played just 55 minutes of top flight football this campaign – despite costing West Brom £13.68 million in August, according to Transfermarkt. The Scotland winger impressed for Nottingham Forest – enough for RB Leipzig to come calling – and another Championship spell could lead him back to his best. Burke’s fortunes could soon change, however, depending on the identity of the Baggies’ next boss, while Wednesday’s treatment of Callum McManaman last season may linger in the Premier League club’s mind.
Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth)
A regular at the start of the campaign, Fraser has failed to feature for Bournemouth’s first team since the end of September. A minor hamstring injury hasn’t helped. Nevertheless, with Josh King, Junior Stanislas and Jordon Ibe for company out wide, the Scotland winger (another one) may find it tough to get back in. He recently requested to play for Bournemouth’s Under-21s in the Football League Trophy, such is his desperation for minutes. Whether Fraser would want to drop down a division, however, remains to be seen.
Jiri Skalak (Brighton)
Skalak has seen the least action of all this season, with rivals Izzy Brown and Jose Izquierdo arriving at Brighton upon their promotion earlier this year. The 25-year-old made an impressive start to his Amex Stadium career, scoring two goals and creating another 12 in his first 25 regular league fixtures from January 2016, but was used sparingly after that. If offered, a move to Wednesday could be tempting for Skalak, whose compatriot, Daniel Pudil, is on the books at Hillsborough.
Which players should Sheffield Wednesday be targeting in January?
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