Sheffield Wednesday are ‘leading the chase’ for the former Birmingham City winger Beryly ‘Bez’ Lubala, according to Teamtalk.
But what do Owls fans need to know about their rumoured target, for whom it is claimed they ‘exploring the possibility of a January swoop’?
SWN takes a look below…
He made debut under the current Sheffield Wednesday manager at Birmingham…
Garry Monk gave Lubala a 21-minute run-out at Bristol City in April 2018 – little over a month after he took charge of the Blues. The DR Congo-born Leicester-raised player appeared on four further occasions for Birmingham, all under Monk.
But he later rejected Birmingham’s offer to sign for Crawley…
And it was another ex-Birmingham staff member, Gabriele Cioffi, who profited. Cioffi was part of the Gianfranco Zola regime at St Andrew’s, before being named Crawley manager in September 2018. Birmingham inserted a sell-on clause into the deal for Lubala and will be due a percentage of any sale made by Crawley.
He has played most of his football for Crawley on the left of midfield…
But he has occupied a variety of attacking roles throughout his career, including centre forward. That goes some way to explaining his goalscoring record of eight in 19 games for Crawley. According to WhoScored.com, Lubala’s strengths are finishing, long shots, direct free-kicks and dribbling.
Lubala in action for Crawley. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
He is said to have caught the eye of Premier League and Championship clubs this season…
According to Teamtalk, Middlesbrough, Wigan Atheltic and Peterborough United have all watched Lubala in recent weeks. And The Daily Mail reported earlier this year that even clubs at the top of England’s game are paying attention. The 21-year-old scored the winner against one of them, Norwich City, in the League Cup back in August.
He is under contract until 2021 at Crawley…
And the League Two side hold a one-year extension option. It leaves them in a strong negotiating position should Sheffield Wednesday (or anyone else for that matter) opt to pursue their apparent interest. Lubala is represented by Sturridge Sports Management, the agency run by Dean Sturridge – the uncle of the former England striker, Daniel, and an ex-player himself.
