Sheffield Wednesday look set on signing a new central midfielder this month. And they could find the perfect potential signing in this Bournemouth man.
Sheffield Wednesday have now seen Conor Coventry snub a move to Hillsborough in favour of signing for League One Charlton Athletic, with emerging reports then revealing that Wednesday wanted Leeds United’s Darko Gyabi before he joined Plymouth Argyle on loan.
Those stories, given the fact that John Buckley and Tyreeq Bakinson have already left this month, with loan midfielder Jeff Hendrick facing a contested January, suggests that Danny Rohl is desperate on signing a new central midfielder this month.
Raiding the Premier League for some exciting youngsters seems probable; they’ve already done so by bringing in James Beadle from Brighton.
But Rohl will want a balance between youth and inexperience, and temporary and permanent signings too; but one more loan signing that could pay huge dividends for the Owls would be Joe Rothwell.
Joe Rothwell falling down Bournemouth pecking order
Rothwell, 29, joined Bournemouth on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers ahead of last season.
He went on to feature 20 times in the Premier League last time round, earning high praise from former boss Gary O’Neil who described him as ‘fantastic’, and Rothwell has now played 11 times in the top flight this season; he’s still waiting for his first Premier League goal for the Cherries.
A former Manchester United academy player, Rothwell shone during the 2021/22 campaign with Blackburn Rovers where he scored three and assisted 10 more from midfield, earning him his Premier League move.
But Rothwell hasn’t started a single game since August now. He’s come off the bench just twice in Bournemouth’s last nine and was an unused substitute in Bournemouth’s recent FA Cup clash vs Championship strugglers QPR.
Rothwell then may well become available later in the month and he could be a quality potential signing for the Owls.
Why Rothwell would be perfect for Sheffield Wednesday
Over the past few weeks, Rohl seems to have settled on a sort of 4-3-2-1, or 4-3-3 formation.
Either one boasts a midfield three. Will Vaulks is often the man playing in front of the defence, with Barry Bannan on the left pulling the strings and George Byers on the right keeping play ticking over.
Right now, Byers seems like a disposable player in the XI; although he plays his role, he’s often the first to be brought off in games, and when comparing to Bannan, Byers certainly seems like someone who can be upgraded this month.
And Rothwell would be a huge upgrade.
Like Byers, Rothwell is a well-rounded midfielder. During that 2021/22 season with Blackburn in the Championship, Rothwell averaged 47.1 touches per game (Sofascore), with 1.7 key passes per game despite averaging just 27.7 passes per game, in what was a Blackburn side that focused heavily on defence to attack transition under Tony Mowbray.
Rothwell also averaged 1.1 interceptions and 1 tackle per game that season, showcasing his ability to not only pass the ball around neatly, but offer defensive coverage too.
The season before, Rothwell rescued a late point for Blackburn vs Sheffield Wednesday at Ewood Park, with an impressive solo goal on the Boxing Day clash.
So in a high-energy Wednesday side, in which the midfield really is the engine room, someone with Rothwell’s traits would be ideal, and his previous Championship experience and now Premier League experience would surely serve to improve the XI.
If he becomes available on a loan transfer this month, which seems very possible, he could be a quality potential signing for a lot of teams in the second tier.