Sheffield Wednesday have received a boost in their potential transfer pursuit of Ian Poveda following the news that the winger is set to leave Leeds United this summer.
It’s been a disappointing spell at Elland Road for the Colombian international. He made 14 Premier League appearances for the Whites during the 2020/21 season after joining in the winter transfer window from Manchester City. However, he soon fell out of favour and joined Blackburn Rovers on a season-long deal in 2021.
Injuries hampered his appearances at Ewood Park, although a temporary move to Blackpool last season proved more fruitful. He returned to Elland Road last summer hoping to break into the first team setup following their relegation from the top tier, but he featured just seven times, mainly from the substitutes bench, before moving to the Owls on transfer deadline day.
His time at Hillsborough has been a success to date. He has missed just one fixture since joining, which came against parent club Leeds last week. He’s played a key role in Wednesday’s recent form, and has been on the losing in just twice in his seven league outings thus far.
This has put Danny Rohl’s side in contention to avoid relegation, a staggering achievement considering they didn’t record their first win until late October and were firmly rooted to the foot of the table. Although still 23rd, they are now just one point off 21st-placed Birmingham City.
Surviving the drop will be key to their summer transfer business, where they may consider attempting to make Poveda’s loan deal a permanent one. His contract at Leeds is set to expire at the end of the campaign and according to Football Insider, fresh terms will not be offered and he will be allowed to depart the club for free.
His last appearance for the Yorkshire club came as a late substitute in the 1-1 draw with Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup fourth round in January.
Writer’s View
The attacker has been a huge hit with the Sheffield Wednesday fans and the majority would love to see him return to Hillsborough next season. However, that is unlikely to happen if they are playing League One football.
The Owls are one of the most in-form teams in the Championship at the moment and few would bet against them retaining their status in the division next season. In doing so, they must be considered one of the favourites to sign Poveda. However, there are likely to be many second tier clubs also interested in acquiring his services.
