Town keen to sign left-back before deadline

Manager of Sheffield Wednesday Danny Röhl has disclosed that talks over the Blues’ interest in Owls left-back Marvin Johnson are still ongoing.

Just over a week ago, rumors circulated that Town had attempted to sign the 33-year-old. The Blues had offered a contract that called for no money up front with incentive payments owed to the South Yorkshire club at a later date.

They are still talking, but I can tell that they are. It would be difficult to unleash such a player, to be honest. It really depends, but we want to keep him,” Röhl told the Sheffield Star.

“Everyone needs to understand that he is a starter for our team; it all comes down to performance. You cannot arrive on Wednesday empty-handed.

“You have to make an investment if you want a player like that. This is our way of making it very obvious that a club cannot request to use one of our starters for free. What transpires in the end will be observed.

Former manager Xisco originally left Johnson out of the Owls’ EFL squad in the summer. However, Röhl welcomed Johnson back into the fold in November, and since then, he has established himself as a vital player of the team, contributing two assists and three goals from left back.

Overall, Marvin will return if he is still a member of our squad and if he is still here, Röhl continued. He is aware that he was far away a few weeks ago. I took him, I instilled trust in him, and we had an extremely open relationship.

“He is very grateful that I gave him the chance to return, and sometimes maintaining this bond is also crucial.”

Sam Gallagher might be able to join the Blues if Blackburn moves to acquire Jerry Yates, a striker for Swansea.

Although Gallagher is eager to move to Portman Road, Rovers have rejected Town’s offer for him. However, bringing Yates on board could make that move easier.

Reports state that the Swans would prefer a permanent sale, while the Lancastrians want to sign Yates on a loan. On Thursday night, the transfer window closes at 11 p.m.