“An interesting one” – Ipswich Town fan pundit on potential Man Utd transfer agreement
FLW’s Ipswich Town fan pundit has spoken about the club potentially signing defender on permanent basis
The Tractor Boys have won nine of their opening 11 games of the season and are sitting pretty at the top end of the table along with leaders Leicester City
Ipswich secured promotion back to the second-tier last season in excellent style, and they have continued from where they left off last season.
Many might have thought Ipswich had the potential to do well in this campaign, but they may not have expected them to do as well as they are doing.
It looks as though they and Leicester are going to be the runaway leaders in the division this season, and the credit should go to McKenna and the players he has put together.
One of those players who has played an important role in recent weeks is defender Brandon Williams, who joined the club in the summer on a season-long loan deal from Manchester United.
How has Brandon Williams performed for Ipswich Town?
Williams’ future at Old Trafford doesn’t look great, so it wasn’t a surprise to see the defender leave the club on loan in the last transfer window.
The full-back fell way down the pecking order, so his move to Portman Road will be a chance for the player to prove what he is capable of.
McKenna used his Old Trafford connections to get the defender into the club, and now, 10 games into the loan, Williams is showing his class.
The 23-year-old has only made five starts, but two of them have come in the last two Championship games, and the defender has taken his chance.
He has performed very well in the right-back role and has even got on the scoresheet twice in the last three games.
His goal against Preston showed his class, as he ran the length of the pitch with the ball before firing into the net as the Tractor Boys eased past the Lilywhites.
He is still very early into his loan, but all the signs show that he is doing very well at the club, and McKenna will be pleased he got the deal over the line.
Do Ipswich Town fans think the club should look to sign Brandon Williams on a permanent basis?
So, with Williams seemingly getting better and better as the weeks go on, here we asked FLW’s Ipswich fan pundit Henry if he thinks the club should look to sign the player on a permanent deal in the summer.
He told FLW: “Brandon Williams on a permanent deal is an interesting one. I don’t think it’s going to be one we’re going to explore this January.
“I don’t think it necessarily works for all parties quite yet. I think talking about Brandon obviously I don’t know, but I imagine from his side he would want a successful loan spell and then want to consider his options afterwards. That’s obviously not saying he’ll never come to Ipswich on a permanent basis, but I think for him, I think he needed a good spell in the Championship.
“I think there may be some lower end Premier League clubs looking at him as a real option. I think we have brought him back on the map, which is great because he had a couple of quiet seasons.
“Obviously, his Norwich loan spell was pretty unsuccessful, as Norwich were relegated, while Manchester United as a club right now are not really where they want to be. I think he’ll work out what he wants to do, however saying that Ipswich is a pretty big coup right now, probably the best it’s been for the last 12 years, so a player whose contract does run out in the summer, he may want to get his future sorted, and he seems to be enjoying his time, why wouldn’t you want to stay
“But I think for him, for Ipswich it works, but I think for himself and his game, I think he might wait until the end of the season and consider his options then because I’m sure he’ll have plenty of takers. Either nationally, within the Premier League or many abroad, he would definitely suit that if he wanted to try something abroad, but Ipswich would say yes, I think Brandon would say no at the moment.”
Should Brandon Williams join Ipswich Town on a permanent basis?
It is likely that Williams is going to wait until the summer before deciding what he wants to do next in his career, as he would likely want to continue at Manchester United.
However, his future seems to be likely away from Old Trafford, so it will be a question of what presents itself after this season.
If he keeps playing the way he is and Ipswich keep performing and do reach the Premier League, you could say it is likely that the relationship could continue beyond this season, but there is still a lot of football to be played between now and then
“Massive boost” – Pundit reacts to big Ross Stewart update at Southampton
Ross Stewart saw speculation regarding his future go up increasingly throughout the recent summer transfer window after an impressive goal return for Sunderland despite the 2022/23 campaign being an injury hit one for the Scot
This didn’t deter Southampton in their pursuit of his services on Transfer Deadline Day though, and the striker made the long switch from the Stadium of Light to St Mary’s for an estimated £10m fee.
In last season’s Championship, Sunderland made it all the way to the play-off semi-finals, and normally a player who has only featured in 13 league games would have one of the more minimal impacts on the eventual 6th place that the Black Cats ended with. However, this was far from the case for Stewart, who managed to find the net 10 times before rupturing his achilles tendon back in January against Fulham.
Since that day, the 27-year-old is yet to kick a ball in anger, even for his new employers.
When does Ross Stewart return from his injury?
When questioned about this topic last month, Russell Martin urged Southampton supporters that patience must be a virtue in Stewart’s situation, having not played for at least nine months
“It will take as long as it takes for us to get him to a place where we know he can be there and stay there, rather than trying to dip him in too quickly and then lose him.
Martin also stated in this interview with the Daily Echo that he and his staff must be cautious, despite the qualities he will eventually bring to Saints’ attacking department
“I think we have to be sensible. I’m really excited about getting him in. He is massive and a great guy. I tried to sign him before, as you know. He will be brilliant for us.”
What else has been said about Ross Stewart’s return to injury?
Southampton reporter for HampshireLive, Mark Wyatt believes that he could feature against Hull City off the bench next Saturday, as per ChronicleLive.
“Russell Martin hasn’t put a date on his return to action but Stewart has been back in training over the last few weeks. With the October international break now giving Saints a break before their next game away at Hull on October 21, fans are hoping the striker could make his debut off the bench.
What is Carlton Palmer’s verdict on the situation?
Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer believes that Southampton fans have cause to optimism as Stewart’s attributes will be pivotal to their promotion chances.
“Southampton paid £10m+ for Sunderland’s Ross Stewart. The good news for supporters is that he’s nearing a return to action.
“This is a massive boost for Southampton and their promotion hopes. He leads the line very well and knows where the back of the net is.” He continued.
The pundit also stated that whilst the Scot’s return will be a timely one given their position in the table, it’s the other end of the pitch they need to address sooner.
“Southampton currently sit mid-table on 17 points but only a couple off the play-off places. The problem for them isn’t so much scoring goals but conceding them, having shipped 21 in 11 games.”
What next for Southampton?
Palmer’s last point is extremely valid, as they already have the options of Che Adams and Adam Armstrong in attack , who have scored ten goals between them already – therefore it may take Stewart a while to break into the Starting XI despite his own capabilities.
They return to action against Hull City at the MKM Stadium next weekend, with Stewart possibly in contention to be involved within a Saints matchday squad for the first time.
Sheffield Wednesday’s 6 highest paid players in order of value for money (Ranked
We have ranked the Owls who are on the highest estimated wages, based on whether they have provided value for money.
Winning just three points from a possible 33 in their opening 11 league fixtures, they risk being all but relegated early on in the season if they don’t improve their results after the international break.
With this in mind, Xisco’s successor faces a massive challenge and the off-field situation doesn’t help either, with major tension between owner Dejphon Chansiri and some of the Owls’ supporters.
However, this job is still a good opportunity because the Owls have enough quality in their squad to keep themselves afloat in the Championship, even though they have made a very poor start to the campaign.
Financially, it’s important that the Owls remain in the second tier beyond the end of this season with Wednesday able to generate more revenue in a higher division.
On the subject of finances, we take a look at the six highest-paid Owls players (based on estimates by Capology) and rank them based on whether they have provided value for money or not.
There’s little chance the Owls are paying anywhere near that sort of money to have Hendrick.
However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was on a high salary at Newcastle United and the Irishman is lucky to earn that, because he didn’t do well at Reading last season and hasn’t shone at Hillsborough this term.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if he had to drop down to League One at some point – because he isn’t standing out in the second tier and has been criticised quite heavily in the past 12-18 months for some of his performances.
Ihiekwe has only appeared for the Owls on four occasions in all competitions this season.
The ex-Rotherham United man has spent much of the season either on the bench or out of the matchday squad and right now, he isn’t providing value for money.
That’s a shame for the defender, who would probably be getting more game time at Rotherham if he had stayed there.
Vaulks was an excellent signing and you feel he will have an important part to play between now and the end of the season.
He is just one of a number of midfield options for the Owls though and has made just five league appearances so far.
That’s a total he will probably be disappointed with – but he can turn things around
Paterson has appeared more frequently than Vaulks and is also a very versatile player, making him a good asset to have.
He has played at this level before as well and is useful to have in both a back three and back four system.
Despite being able to appear at wing-back, he will want to get himself on the scoresheet a number of times this term.
After being snubbed by the Owls in favour of Rohl, he may be persuaded to take the arguably harder job at QPR.
Although he will be getting a good compensation package from the Gers, it seems as though he wants to get back into management sooner rather than later.
Why might the QPR job be harder for Michael Beale than Sheffield Wednesday?
Considering the supporters’ anger, Beale may get a frosty reception if he did rejoin the R’s and that won’t make his job easy.
The supporters may also have less patience with him than they have for Gareth Ainsworth, considering the latter seems to be a loyal figure who has enjoyed great success at Loftus Road as a player.
And QPR are just two points adrift of safety, so many of their fans will be expecting him to guide their side to safety if he did succeed Ainsworth
The Owls, meanwhile, are seven points adrift of 21st place and haven’t won any of their 11 league games.
Although Wednesday will have been expected to stay up at the start of the season considering their stature, those expectations have been adjusted now and there may not be as much pressure on Beale at Hillsborough as there would be at Loftus Road.
And if he could’ve guided them to safety, he would have been seen as a hero, and that would have helped him to enhance his CV following an underwhelming time at Ibrox.
A lot of attention will be on owner Dejphon Chansiri following his incredible statement last month and his decision to swap Moore with Xisco, another reason why Beale may have been let off the hook more at Hillsborough if his spell there hadn’t been a complete success.
Recent Sunderland decision now looks vital as Burnley plot move for 24-year-old: Opinion
The Black Cats defied many expectations last season when, in their first campaign back in the Championship after four years in League One, they were able to secure themselves a place in the play-offs.
Ultimately, they would miss out on promotion to the Premier League at the semi-final stage, where they were beaten by Luton Town.
Even so, Tony Mowbray’s side have made another strong start to the current campaign, that suggests they have a chance of at least repearing that feat again this time around.
What makes that even more impressive, is the fact that they are doing this, with one of, if not the youngest squad in the Championship.
However, the fact that they have so many young players producing such high quality at such an early stage of their careers, is something that makes it understandable they are attracting interest from the top-flight, given the potential they have to become even bigger assets as they continue their development.
Now it seems as though one Sunderland player who is attracting that sort of interest as attention starts to turn towards the January transfer window, is Dan Ballard.
Which Premier League teams are interested in Dan Ballard?
According to reports from journalist Alan Nixon, newly promoted top-flight side Burnley are now taking an interest in Ballard.
The centre back joined the Black Cats back in the summer of 2022, arriving on a permanent deal from Arsenal, following an impressive loan spell with Sunderland’s Championship rivals Millwall the season before.
Having been hampered by injury when he first moved to the Stadium of Light, Ballard has since become a key figure in the centre of defence for Sunderland, making a total of 33 appearances in all competitions.
Indeed, the 24-year-old has featured in every Championship game for the club so far this season, producing some solid defensive performances, and scoring two goals, to emerge as a key man in their play-off push up until now
As a result, it is now claimed that Burnley have been watching the progress of Ballard, as they weigh up a move for the centre back once the window reopens at the turn of the year.
It is thought that Clarets boss Vincent Kompany is keen to bring in an old-school defender in a bid to solidify his side’s backline, after a tough start to life back in the Premier League.
So with that in mind, it does seem as though one piece of business Sunderland completed with regards to Ballard over the summer, looks particularly important.
Sunderland’s recent agreement with Ballard now looks even more vital
While the focus throughout any transfer window is always primarily on incomings and outgoings, Sunderland also did business with certain current players, such as Ballard.
Back in early August, the Black Cats announced that the centre back had put pen to paper on a new four-year contract with the club, securing his future at The Stadium of Light until the end of the 2026/27 season.
That of course, means that amid that interest in his services from elsewhere, there is no risk for Sunderland of Ballard running down his deal with the Black Cats and walking away for a free, while being a player who is worth a lot more to the club.
Indeed, with so long remaining on his contract at The Stadium of Light, Sunderland now know that they are under no pressure to sell the 24-year-old unless it is on their own terms, meaning they can demand a rather sizeable fee for his services, should Burnley, or any other club, come calling in January.
In turn, that would ensure that if the centre back does move on at the turn of the year, it will in a deal that brings in funds for Sunderland that could potentially not only allow them to replace Ballard, but also strengthen other areas of their squad as well, and that is even if he is to leave at all.
So with all that in mind, it seems this emerging interest in the centre back from Burnley, means that the decision made by Sunderland in handing Ballard a new contract back in the summer, now looks to be an even more sensible and crucial one, than it did at the time.
Leicester City could have their very own Jack Grealish situation on their hands: Opinion
Jack Grealish had to step down a level to shine in the English footballing pyramid and the same goes for a Leicester star
HIGHLIGHTS
- Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s outstanding form in the Championship could lead to a return to the Premier League for Leicester City.
- Just like Jack Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall is excelling in the Championship before potentially shining in the top-flight.
- There has been interest from clubs like Liverpool and Manchester City, suggesting Dewsbury-Hall has the potential to play at a higher level, possibly even in the Champions League.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s outstanding form in the Championship seems likely to propel Leicester City back up to the Premier League – which could see him follow in the footsteps of a current England international.
Dewsbury-Hall’s opening day brace against Coventry City had pundits marvelling over his talents, and whilst he went on a somewhat barren run in front of goal, he’s picked that form back up again recently to put him on five league goals in just 10 games for Enzo Maresca’s side.
It’s the sort of form that allows teams to notice you in the Premier League, where many in the second-tier have plied their trade and won the top-flight after spending their developmental years in the Football League.
And with Jack Grealish having been linked to huge clubs even when playing in the Championship like Dewsbury-Hall is, the two boast more similarities than you’d perhaps realise.
Why are Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall similar in their career paths?
Evidently, Grealish has had the more successful career, having garnered England caps and a treble last season with Manchester City – but it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the winger star.
Grealish went and set an unwanted Premier League record of becoming the first player to lose 20 successive games in the division, having been a part of the disastrous 2015-16 team that finished on just 17 points and took just one win and one draw from a possible 15 games as they slid down the table with Remi Garde.
It took three seasons in the Championship for Villa to finally clamber their way back up to the top-flight, and investment alongside the managerial prowess of Unai Emery even saw their first European run in 12 years by qualifying for the Conference League on the final day. But it was only when Grealish went down to the Championship that he started to properly excel as a Villa player – much like Dewsbury-Hall is now.
The winger scored six goals in his final Championship season, before notching eight and six in his two Premier League seasons at Villa Park before making the move across to the Etihad Stadium. Dewsbury-Hall is already on five goals in just 10 second-tier games, and with a return to the Premier League looking ever more likely for the Foxes, it could well be Dewsbury-Hall’s time to shine in the Premier League if they do so.
Would Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall ever garner a move to a Champions League club?
It’s hard to say, though there has been interest in Dewsbury-Hall’s services before. Liverpool are a club who have been linked with his services as recently as this summer, whilst Manchester City were also reportedly interested.
At just 25 years of age and with a one-in-two goal ratio in the Championship, Dewsbury-Hall is evidently an outstanding player and one that is likely too good for the second-tier. It’s likely that he will have to prove himself in a full season in the Premier League first, but that would no doubt come naturally to him having already made 60 appearances in the top-flight.
His box-to-box nature, quality on the ball and experience in multiple competitions would undoubtedly make him an outstanding candidate for many teams in the top-flight.
