Reported Sheffield Wednesday target off the list after confirming surprise transfer

Ben Purrington – a former Rotherham United player – left Charlton Athletic this summer having played 114 times for the London club, earning fan favourite status at The Valley along the way.

Wednesday are known to be on the lookout for a left-footed defender – with the ability to cover left-back seen as a healthy bonus – and it was a transfer rumour that seemed to make some sense when it was reported last week that the Owls were among a handful of clubs interested in signing Purrington on a free transfer.

But amid reported interest from Wednesday’s fellow League One colleagues Exeter City, 26-year-old Purrington has made the decision to move north and join the ambitious project of former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay at Scottish Premier League side Ross County.

Purrington joins the likes of former Liverpool and Swansea City trickster Yan Dhanda at Victoria Park, while former Doncaster Rovers forward Jordy Hiwula has also joined. The defender becomes Mackay’s seventh signing of the summer.

It is not known how far Wednesday's interest into Purrington went.

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The Owls are themselves in the midst of an ambitious summer transition of their squad and have so far signed five players, a number that is expected to swell considerably in the coming weeks.

Two of those signings – Michael Ihiekwe and Ben Heneghan – are defenders of considerable experience at League One level.