Sheffield Wednesday fans are asking whether Dominic Iorfa can be the next Carlton Palmer.. So we asked Carlton Palmer
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The 25-year-old, who next month will celebrate the second anniversary of his signing for Wednesday, won last year’s player of the year honour for his performances at centre-half having transitioned from right-back.
Perhaps the greatest accolade Iorfa has enjoyed is that many Owls supporters have compared his playing style with that of the great Carlton Palmer.
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Hide AdAnd Palmer, who played over 250 games for the club over two spells, told The Star that while he will have long a way to go to reaching the heights he soared, he believes the current Wednesday man has the ability to step up into a more regular midfield role.
Palmer said: “He’s still a young kid and it’s early days I think he’s played ever so well for Wednesday. He seems like a really nice kid.
“Listen, he’s got big shoes to fill if he’s going to fill my shoes. That is not going to be easy!
"He’s a big lad, he tackles well and heads the ball well and he can run, so I can’t see it being a problem him playing in midfield. As long as you’re fit in that league you’ll do alright and it looks like he’s got all those things.”
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Hide AdSpeaking after the Norwich game, in which Iorfa was replaced by Joey Pelupessy on 55 minutes, Wednesday boss Tony Pulis explained the thinking behind the switch and hinted that it was something supporters might expect to see more of.
Pulis paid tribute to Iorfa’s energy, pace and athleticism, all attributes that saw Palmer become an Owls legend. And the former England international backed Iorfa to make the positional change.
“I don’t subscribe to any of that about positions,” Palmer said. “This ‘oh, he’s a centre-back, he’s a midfield player, he’s a forward’, I don’t subscribe to that one bit. A player is a player.
“If you can play, you should be able to play anywhere on the park. I could do that, I played all sorts of positions. You have a main position but you should be able to adapt and play anywhere.”