Portsmouth relegation rivals confirm transfer plans as Southampton 'explore' Sunderland deal
The latest transfer talk from across the Championship as the likes of Norwich, Portsmouth and Sheffield United look to boost their squads in a bid to avoid relegation.
Portsmouth and their Championship relegation rivals are currently working on their plans for the January transfer window as they look to boost their squads in the new year to aid their bid to avoid the drop into League One.
Pompey are expected to be active during the transfer window - and fellow strugglers Norwich City have confirmed they have held discussions over what could lie ahead for them in the first month of the new year. Former Rangers head coach was named as Canaries boss last month and he is slowly getting to grips with life at Carrow Road after his side claimed four points from their last two games to move within three points of escaping the bottom three.
Despite several players returning to contention after injury, Clement has revealed Norwich have held initial discussions to put their January plans in place and will hold further talks before the window officially opens for business next month.
He told The Pink Un: “Of course, we spoke about positions, about profiles, what we need for January, everybody's aligned around that, and our recruitment team will work hard to come with the right profiles, and then in the next couple of weeks we will have discussions about that.
“I'm not focused on that. Now, for me, the focus is on the players who are fit, because I can speak about all the guys who are not there and all their qualities or what they can do, it's of no use. It's now focusing on who's fit and available and then looking game by game.”
Saints ‘explore’ move for Sunderland star
Southampton are reportedly considering a January move for Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.
The Black Cats academy product was a key member of the squad that secured promotion into the Premier League via a Championship play-off final win against Sheffield United - but has struggled to find game-time during the current campaign with summer signing Robin Roefs impressing for Regis Le Bris’ side. That has led to speculation Patterson could depart the Stadium of Light over the coming transfer windows - and The Sun have claimed Southampton are ‘exploring a loan deal’ for the 25-year-old.
However, the report also suggests that the Black Cats are ‘prefer a permanent move’ for a player that featured in all but four of their 49 Championship regular season and play-off fixtures during their successful push for a return to the Premier League.
Blades star pens new deal
Sheffield United have been handed a major boost as they look to push further away from the Championship relegation zone over the coming weeks.
After a dismal start to the season, the Blades have lost just one of their last seven matches and are now sitting four points above the drop zone ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Birmingham City. Chris Wilder will hope to boost his squad during the January transfer window - but it is a current member of his ranks that has provided the Blades boss with some positive news after Jaïro Riedewald penned a new deal committing him to the club until the end of the season and there is an option to extend the agreement by a further 12 months.
After the deal was confirmed, Wilder told the club website: “I'm delighted to get this one done ahead of a busy period in the season. Everyone has seen the effect Jaïro has had on the team since joining us and I firmly believe there's more to come from him as he continues to get up to speed. He has been a really important figure for us and he's also an outstanding professional who gets what we're trying to achieve here, and we're all looking forward to working with him more in the second half of the campaign."