FLW looks at three players Kieran McKenna could turn to in light of Wes Burns’ injury.
Ever since his arrival at Portman Road in the summer of 2021, Ipswich Town wideman Wes Burns has starred for the club.
Indeed, at the time of writing, Burns has made a total of 100 appearances for the Tractor Boys, scoring 23 goals and registering 24 assists in those matches.
Naturally, given the sort of numbers he has produced at Portman Road, that means that Burns has played a big role in the club’s success under boss Kieran McKenna.
As Ipswich won automatic promotion to the Championship last season, for example, Burns netted eight goals and registered an incredible 14 assists down the right-hand side.
In the Championship so far this season, Burns has also featured in every one of the club’s league outings, and although he only has one goal and assists to his name, he is contributing to the club’s current success, with Ipswich 2nd in the league.
Unfortunately for Burns and Ipswich, though, bad news has struck.
With the international break upon us, Burns, having made his international debut for Wales in 2022, was away with his national side once again this time around.
However, after 15 minutes on the pitch against Gibraltar last week, Burns was forced off with an injury.
The Welsh FA confirmed that in light of the injury, Burns had returned to Ipswich Town for further assessment.
The extent of the shoulder injury is yet to be disclosed publicly, but it could be that Burns is facing some time on the sidelines.
In that scenario, boss Kieran McKenna would clearly need to replace him in the starting line up and below, we’ve briefly looked at three of his potential options.
One obvious potential selection to replace Burns in the starting XI is likely to be Marcus Harness.
The 27-year-old has made nine Championship appearances so far this season, often coming on as a substitute and filling in where needed.
He is yet to do so on the right wing, but, historically, Harness has played most of his career out wide on the right, albeit that has not been the case at Portman Road.
If Kieran McKenna does not fancy bringing Marcus Harness into the starting line up, another potential option for the club’s boss is Omari Hutchinson.
Hutchinson naturally plays through the centre rather than out wide, but has shown this season he can be versatile.
Indeed, he has featured on both the left and right wing at times this season and could certainly do a job on the right if asked to, we’re sure.
If none of the above options are what McKenna wants, Ipswich do of course still have Sone Aluko on their books.
It would be a surprise to see him suddenly jump into contention, but the 34-year-old certainly has good experience at this level.
He has featured in cup competitions only so far this campaign, so a move to the bench in light of Burns’ injury news is perhaps the most likely outcome.
However, he remains an extra option there if McKenna needs it.
After Rangers FC development, Birmingham City should look to Man City: Opinion
Birmingham City should target Man City player after recent Jack Butland update.
Wayne Rooney has only been in the Birmingham City hotseat for a week, and already there is talk about what players they are going to sign.
The Blues made the managerial change last week, and now the task of keeping Birmingham on the right path is in the hands of the former Manchester United and England captain.
The Blues have started the season really well and return to Championship action this weekend, sitting in the play-off places.
All eyes will be on Rooney’s first game, but before that has even happened, there has been talk about which players they could look to sign in the January transfer window.v
One player who has been mentioned in the last few days is Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland.
Butland only joined Rangers in the summer, as manager Mick Beale convinced the Englishman to move north of the border after his contract at Crystal Palace expired.
However, the Scottish Premiership side decided to part ways with Beale, and that has reportedly made Butland question his future at the club.
It was reported last weekend, that Birmingham, a team where it all started for Butland, could be interested in signing him in January. Rooney is keen to add to his new squad and has identified the former England goalkeeper as an option.
His move to Rangers has worked out so far, as he’s got back to playing regular football, after a few seasons of sitting on the sidelines.
It seems Rangers are not keen on losing their number one goalkeeper, as TEAMtalk report, that they have zero interest in selling Butland and therefore, it would take a “sensational offer” to sell him.
Who should Birmingham City look to sign after the Jack Butland update?
If Birmingham were interested in signing Butland in January, then this new update will be a blow to their pursuit.
But, as with any team, they will no doubt have other options that they will consider, and at this stage, we don’t know who they are, but one should be Manchester City’s Zack Steffen.
The American has been on the books at the Etihad since 2019, and while he’s played 21 games for the club, he has never really been given a chance due to the signing of Ederson.
Steffen spent last season on loan at Middlesbrough, and he excelled in the Championship, making himself one of the best goalkeepers in the division.
The 28-year-old played 44 times in the Championship last season, and during it, he averaged 2.4 saves per game, with 0.2 in the six-yard box, 1.5 in the penalty area, and 0.7 outside of the box.
The goalkeeper is also a player who is comfortable with the ball at his feet, which would ideally suit Rooney, as most modern-day goalkeepers are required to be. For Middlesbrough, he averaged 31.1 passes per game, with 73.4% being accurate, and he even managed to claim an assist, as per WhoScored.com
He impressed at Boro, but has since returned to Man City and has so far not played a single minute this season, as he’s had knee surgery, and his return is unknown.
So, while he may be injured now, he could be someone that Birmingham looks at as a good option to solve their goalkeeping worries.
Steffen may not be available straight away, as it depends on when he returns from his injury, but he has proven he is very good at this level before and would be an excellent option if Butland’s move doesn’t work out.
John Swift setback should lead West Brom to ex-Brentford free agent: Opinion
Swift’s injury has left Carlos Corberan with a lack of fully-fit options in the final third, but Tariqe Fosu could help ease the Spaniard’s issues
West Bromwich Albion’s off-field problems are very much common knowledge by now, but through it all, head coach Carlos Corberan is continuing to battle on.
The Baggies’ failure to get back to the Premier League within the last two seasons has seen their parachute payments disappear, and with an absent owner in Guochuan Lai not providing any funds, there was no real room to manouevre in the transfer window over the summer.
Just three new players arrived for Corberan, and not a single penny was spent on transfer fees as the Spaniard had to cut his cloth accordingly.
And whilst one first-team player in the form of Dara O’Shea was cashed in on for £7 million as the Irishman headed to Burnley, not enough funds were raised to make up the shortfall despite the fact that there was interest in players and bids were rejected for the likes of Jed Wallace and Brandon Thomas-Asante.
Overall, Corberan’s squad is solid enough despite the lack of spending recently, but that is when everyone is fully-fit – and that is not the case right now.
What injury issues do West Brom currently have?
Daryl Dike has been out for a long time since rupturing his achilles in April, and he’s not expected back until at least the end of 2023, and with Josh Maja also sidelined it has left Jed Wallace plying his trade as a lone striker, favoured ahead of Brandon Thomas-Asante.
Another attacking summer signing in the form of Brighton winger Jeremy Sarmiento hasn’t featured a great amount so far, and Corberan is having to manage his fitness after several injuries in recent years.
The latest setback that has been handed to the Baggies head coach is the injury to John Swift, with a calf issue picked up against Birmingham City putting him on the shelf for six weeks.
Swift is a key player for Albion and his absence for the next month or so means that Corberan needs to act if he can – and that means potentially dipping into the free agents market if there is money left in the budget.
West Brom have one spot available in their current squad for a senior player, and in Tariqe Fosu there is a player still looking for a club that could make a bit of a difference.
Why would Tariqe Fosu be a good signing for West Brom?
Fosu is a player who has racked up plenty of appearances at Championship level, most notably with Brentford.
Having starred briefly for Oxford United in League One, the Bees swooped for the winger’s services in January 2020, adding him to their ranks ahead of their promotion push as they aimed to get to the Premier League.
Still in the Championship for the 2020-21 season though with the Londoners, Fosu played 49 times in all competitions for Brentford that year, scoring four times and also notching four assists.
Fosu fell out of favour though with Thomas Frank following their promotion to the top flight of English football, and last season he spent time on loan back in the second tier with both Stoke City and Rotherham United.
It was at the Millers where he had more success, playing in a variety of wide positions and also through the middle as he proved to be an effective, versatile asset for Matt Taylor.
For some reason, Fosu hasn’t been picked up by another club since he became a free agent over the summer, but he could do a job for most Championship sides on his best day.
If he is fit and ready to go, then Fosu should be considered by West Brom and Corberan providing they have the necessary budget, as there are things that the 27-year-old can bring to the table that would be worthwhile whilst there are a shortage of options in the final third in the front three that the Baggies head coach likes to utilise.
Sheffield Wednesday team news ft Barry Bannan, Josh Windass and Marvin Johnson
Sheffield Wednesday take on Watford at Vicarage Road in the Championship on Saturday in their first game under new manager Danny Rohl.
All the latest Sheffield Wednesday team news ahead of their game against Watford on Saturday.
The Owls endured their worst start to a season in their history, picking up just two points from their first 10 league games, resulting in the sacking of Xisco Munoz earlier this month.
Neil Thompson took charge of the 0-0 draw against Huddersfield Town at Hillsborough prior to the international break, but Wednesday are still searching for their first win of the season.
Former RB Leipzig, Southampton, Bayern Munich and German national team coach Rohl was named as the new Wednesday manager last week, and it is a tough task for the 34-year-old in his first managerial role.
The Owls currently sit bottom of the table, and they are already seven points from safety ahead of the game against 20th-placed Watford.
As the countdown to kick off continues, we rounded up all the latest Wednesday team news.
Winger Marvin Johnson is yet to feature this season after being frozen out under Munoz, but the 32-year-old has returned to training following the Spaniard’s departure.
Johnson, who scored three goals and provided 14 assists to help the Owls to promotion last season, was left out of the club’s 25-man squad list, and while he will not be involved against Watford as Rohl continues to assess him, the German has no doubt of his quality.
“I had a good conversation with Marvin,” Rohl told The Star. “We spoke about what I expect from him on and off the pitch. It’s very important for me.
“It’s important to look forward and not look back, and it’s the reason why we took him for part of the training. Now we’ll look to the data, step by step, if the data is alright then we’ll bring him back into the squad and training. Then it’s about his performances in training if he’s in the squad or not…
“It was important that I had a talk with Marvin about his situation. Now we’ll look at the data and when he’s ready to come back we’ll take him. Maybe the next step for him is to train on Sunday in the recovery session with the other players who don’t play. Then we’ll have a look during the next week… I’m convinced about his quality. I’ve heard a lot of good things from him and we’ll keep going.”
Wednesday will be without winger Juan Delgado due to a hip injury, while midfielder Momo Diaby remains sidelined with a foot injury.
“It was important that I had a talk with Marvin about his situation. Now we’ll look at the data and when he’s ready to come back we’ll take him. Maybe the next step for him is to train on Sunday in the recovery session with the other players who don’t play. Then we’ll have a look during the next week… I’m convinced about his quality. I’ve heard a lot of good things from him and we’ll keep going.”
Wednesday will be without winger Juan Delgado due to a hip injury, while midfielder Momo Diaby remains sidelined with a foot injury.
The winger looks set to be a man in demand in January, which could impact Spurs
With attention already starting to turn towards the January transfer window, one player who seems certain to be the subject of much speculation at the turn of the year, is Sunderland’s Jack Clarke.
With attention already starting to turn towards the January transfer window, one player who seems certain to be the subject of much speculation at the turn of the year, is Sunderland’s Jack Clarke.
Meanwhile, three others top-flight sides – Wolves, Bournemouth and Brentford – have also been credited with an interest in the 22-year-old.
As a result, it appears as though there will be plenty of competition for Clarke’s services that Sunderland will have to deal with come January.
But given the reasons for another Premier League side – Tottenham – to take an interest in Clarke’s future come January, it seems essential that the Black Cats take as strong a stance as possible, with that seemingly inevitable interest that looks in the winger that looks set to rear its head again.
Why does a Tottenham clause put pressure on Sunderland over Clarke in the January transfer window?
Considering how important Clarke is to Sunderland and their hopes of securing promotion back to the Premier League, they will no doubt be desperate to keep him, and if they are to sell, then replacing him well will be absolutely essential.
But with the Black Cats having signed Clarke from Tottenham back in the summer of 2022, reports have suggested that the North London club have inserted a sell-on clause in that deal, that entitles them to 50% of any fee Sunderland might receive for the winger.
Consequentially, with such a sizeable chunk of any finance set to go to Spurs, it seems as though Sunderland are going to have to push for as big a fee as possible from those interested clubs.
That way, they will at least ensure that they themselves get value for money if they are to lose a key player, and ensure they have the finances available to replace him, which may not be easy given the quality they will need to bring in to do so.
As a result, setting out a strong stance over Clarke come January looks vital for the Black Cats, either to retain such a key player, or ensure they still get their money’s worth for the winger despite a sizeable sell-on fee for Tottenham, that will ensure they can replace him if necessary.
With that in mind, while so much emphasis on incomings in each transfer market, how Sunderland respond to interest in this potential outgoing, could be arguably be decisive in whether or not the January window will ultimately be seen as a success by those at The Stadium of Light.
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