Struggling Portsmouth rivals set for signing flurry amid deal for former Leeds United and Hull City man
Here’s the latest from the Championship with transfer and management news circulating over the international break.
Owls set for swoops
Sheffield Wednesday are set to bolster their squad with new additions after being given the green light to conduct transfer business.
And former Leeds United defender, Liam Cooper, is to be one of the first new faces to arrive at Hillsborough, according to reports.
The troubled Owls are now receiving some positive news after entering administration and being hit with a 12-point deduction, as they descended into financial meltdown under former owner Dejphon Chansiri.
Their Fifa ban over conducting deals was lifted this week, after paying outstanding debts for two deals conducted last summer.
That has paved the way for boss Henrik Pedersen to recruit, with a deal for out-of-contract Cooper reportedly in the pipeline, amid two potential new faces coming in.
The 34-year-old has been without a club since leaving Bulgarian outfit CSKA Sofia in the summer, after moving to the country’s capital last year.
Cooper spent a decade with Leeds before heading overseas, clocking up 285 appearances at Elland Road. The former Hull man previously had loan spells with the likes of Carlisle, Huddersfield and Chesterfield.
Cooper is in line to make his first Sheffield Wednesday appearance in the Steel City derby against Sheffield United next Sunday.
Boro have designs on Raphael
Swiss coach Raphael Wicky has emerged as a contender for the Middlesbrough job.
The 48-year-old is the new odds-on favourite to succeed Rob Edwards at the Riverside Stadium, following his departure to Wolves this week.
The likes of Steven Gerrard, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and Gary O’Neil have been linked with the role at the promotion contenders.
But it’s Wicky’s odds which have come tumbling down, with the former Chicago Fire boss out of work after leaving Young Boys last year.
Bos man ends position debate
Versatile former Pompey target Bosun Lawal has ended the debate over his favoured position.
Lawal was an option considered by John Mousinho last summer, after the Blues reached the Championship.
The former Celtic man caught the eye in a midfield role at Fleetwood in League One, but emerged predominantly as a defender when coming through the ranks north of the border.
Speaking to Potters Pod, Lawal gave his preferred position when pushed on his best role, while admitting he still not totally sure what suits him most.
‘I hate this question,’ Lawal said. ‘I had a coach, Darren O’Dea, who is now at Swansea who said, “You are going to be a £10m midfielder or a £30m centre-back”. He has always said that to me.
‘I played centre-back at Celtic and never got put at centre-mid then I went to Fleetwood and I played centre-mid and probably played the best football of my career. I don’t even know myself, I couldn’t tell you.
‘If I had to pick it would still depend on what squad is available. I enjoy both. I know I can do a lot going forward in midfield, but I always know I can do well at centre-back defensively and it can benefit the team because I know what the forward players would like.
‘Then there’s right-back which I enjoy as well. Let’s just say centre-back.’