Sheffield Wednesday should rival Derby for Hearts ace John Souttar; would solve big problem

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Hearts’ John Souttar would be an ideal signing for Sheffield Wednesday.

According to a recent report in the Scottish Sun, Derby County are looking at Hearts defender John Souttar as they seek to bolster their defensive ranks this summer.

The highly-rated youngster has been one of the standout players north of the border this season, yet Derby are well covered at the back unlike Sheffield Wednesday who would be wise to rival the Rams for his signature.

The Owls recently posted their retained list from the 2017/18 campaign, and one notable absentee was experienced defender Glenn Loovens who will leave Hillsborough this summer at the end of his contract.

With the future of on-loan central defender Frederico Venancio up in the air, if the Portuguese defender isn’t retained then it will leave the Owls extremely light at the back with so few senior defenders on their books.

Jos Luhukay could look to promote the likes of Jack Lee from the U23 development squad, a plausible option, but if he isn’t quite ready yet then the Wednesday manager must make a key signing this summer.

Souttar has been a rock at the back for Hearts this season and his presence in the first-team XI has seen the Scottish club remain undefeated at home since returning to their familiar Tynecastle stadium.

The former Dundee United man is being lined up for a £1 million switch to Derby – a figure which would be well within Wednesday’s budget and which would allow them more room to shuffle the pack elsewhere.

Souttar boasts plenty of potential and when taking into account his age he could go on to play at the very top of the English football pyramid – a factor a club such as Wednesday should seriously consider.

The Yorkshire club have largely played three at the back under Luhukay, but with Loovens set to leave, then the only permanent seniors at the back now are Tom Lees, Daniel Pudil and Joost van Aken with the latter having not featured at all in 2018.

The Owls must strengthen at the back otherwise it only takes an injury or two to leave them down to the bare bones, and in Souttar they could bring in a Championship quality player for a potential bargain.