Sheffield Wednesday are keen on Chris Francis who is currently on trial with fierce rivals Sheffield United. The defender left Bournemouth at the end of last season when his contract expired and is on the lookout for a new club.
According to the Daily Mail, a number of clubs are watching Francis. He is currently in training with the Blades, but last week he played in a friendly for League One outfit Charlton Athletic.
The 20-year-old is viewed as someone who could improve in the coming years. Last season he made five appearances in the National League South for Weymouth and typically plays as a centre-back.
Francis didn’t spend too much time at Bournemouth. The player departed without making a first-team appearance and he’s now trying to find the best club for him to further his development.
It will be interesting to see which team he is training with at Sheffield United. Following their promotion to the Premier League, it’s hard to imagine that they will be fast-tracking him to their first team anytime soon.
Wednesday have signed just one player so far this summer. Reece James turned his loan move into a permanent one from Blackpool and the Owls are now in the market to sign more new players.
Wednesday want United trialist Francis
This would be a bit of a steal if Wednesday could tempt the player to come to Hillsborough. The blue and white half of Sheffield might just have a few factors in their favour too.
Firstly, the player will have a clear pathway to the first team at Wednesday. Playing in the Championship will give the Owls more flexibility in that sense too.
The last thing that Francis needs is to go somewhere and feel like he’s fighting a battle to get a game. If he goes to Hillsborough and does well in pre-season, there’s no reason why Xisco Munoz won’t include him in his squad.
Francis is versatile and young. He has plenty of potential and the fact that lots of clubs appear interested is certainly a good thing.
Rumour rating: 6/10 – Naturally, given that Francis has played little first-team football, this signing might be a bit underwhelming.
He does have a lot of potential though and the fact that Munoz will surely want to lower the average age of his squad can only be a good thing.