Sheffield Wednesday have been given a boost in their pursuit of Connor Wickham after Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson admitted he could leave this month to get first-team football.
Wickham has been short of playing time at Selhurst Park after a long-term injury and finds himself behind Jordan Ayew, Cenk Tosun and Christian Benteke in the pecking order.
The 26-year-old has made only seven appearances in all competitions this season, racking up 222 minutes of football across the board. Wickham has featured in three Premier League games in the last month but has been an unused substitute the majority of the time.
He won’t want to spend the second half of the campaign on the periphery in South London, so a move away from Palace looks on the cards. And with Wickham having impressed in previous stints at Wednesday (10 goals in 17 games on loan), he could jump at the chance to return to Hillsborough.
Where should Sheffield Wednesday strengthen in the transfer market?
Goalkeeper
Defence
Midfield
Attack
As per Dom Howson of the Sheffield Star, Hodgson said: “When it comes to Connor it is really a question about him. It has been a long time since he has been able to play regularly. He was recovering from a serious injury and then picking up other injuries.
“This season, we have not had that with him. But he has had to accept others are playing in front of him. I think for his future, he needs to get a run of games. I might not be able to guarantee him that, but I must emphasise he trains well, he is very professional, and if he stays that is no problem.”
Wednesday are desperate for a striker as Steven Fletcher and Fernando Forestieri are both injured. The Owls aren’t getting many goals from Atdhe Nuhiu, Sam Winnall and Jordan Rhodes, so they could benefit from a prolific centre-forward coming in. Wickham has contributed 30 goals in 87 Championship appearances.
