Southampton centre-back Ronnie Edwards has emerged as a player of interest for Sheffield Wednesday ahead of the January transfer window, with a reported enquiry already made.
Conceding three goals in back-to-back games against Middlesbrough and Preston North End signalled that defensive additions in the new year may be quite handy for Danny Rohl’s side. And, according to The Star, Edwards is an option that they have already earmarked.
An England under-21 international who already has Championship experience, the former Peterborough United player, who left the Posh to join the Saints in the summer for an initial fee of £3 million, is a player that is likely to be on the radar of a few sides in the winter window.
| Ronnie Edwards’ Championship stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 34 |
| Total minutes | 2825 |
| Yellow cards | 6 |
| Source: Transfermarkt | |
He has only made one Premier League appearance since moving to St Mary’s, coming off the bench against Chelsea earlier in December. With his game time being limited, Hillsborough could provide the opportunity for more regular minutes for the youngster.
Sheffield Wednesday interested in Ronnie Edwards
The Owls have submitted an enquiry to Southampton about Edwards and his availability, as per The Star, although they aren’t the only ones interested. The Sheffield outlet added that the defender is expected to receive a lot of attention from a number of Championship clubs before the transfer deadline on 3rd February.
He is expected to be made available on loan and Rohl is said to want to add more options in the middle of his defence before the window shuts.
Against the Lilywhites, the Owls used two full-backs, Max Lowe and Yan Valery, as part of their central back-three. The scoreline reflected how well that decision went. To further add to their pain, Dominic Iorfa came off with an injury with just under 15 minutes to go in the 90.
A bench that only included one natural centre-back – 19-year-old Gabriel Otegbayo – fully displayed Wednesday’s current shortage at centre-half, making their reported interest in Edwards no surprise.
The Championship duo are set to battle it out for the promising striker.
Shea Charles will only aid Sheffield Wednesday’s chances of landing Ronnie Edwards
Shea Charles’ strong performances for Wednesday since joining on loan from the Saints in the summer should help their pursuit of Edwards. He has thrived under Rohl in a way that he rarely did in the same league last season under Russell Martin, who was at one point touted to be replaced by the German before Ivan Juric was appointed.
Southampton should now trust that Wednesday will use their young players properly and develop them in a way that will be beneficial to the current Premier League side down the road.
Charles should also be able to speak highly of what the manager is building at Hillsborough, in order to help convince Edwards that the blue side of the Steel City is the right place for him for the remainder of the campaign.
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