Sheffield Wednesday-mooted free agent – and Tony Pulis favourite – set for move abroad

One of the things that Tony Pulis said in his 82-minute opening gambit as Sheffield Wednesday manager was that he felt the squad was ‘unbalanced’ in areas.
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And while he would not be pressed into revealing exactly which those areas were, it would be fair to assume he already has half an eye on a tweak here or there to a roster he has inherited from Garry Monk for the second consecutive time in his career.

Monk admitted last month that the Owls were keeping a close eye on the free agents market and Pulis has been known to pick up a bargain when it comes to out-of-contract players.

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So one player almost instantly linked with a move to Hillsborough was Ryan Shotton, effectively out of contract and playing for non-league Leek Town since his contract at Middlesbrough expired in the summer.

Pulis signed Shotton for Boro – regularly playing him as a holding midfielder or out wide – and gave him his debut at Stoke.

On his former manager’s new role, Shotton told the Stoke Sentinel last week: “For what Tony Pulis has done for my career I will never say a bad word about him.

“If you do what he asks, you get rewarded and stay in his team. I’m sure he knows I’m available, I’m just not sure I’m a winger anymore!”

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Despite that, the 32-year-old looks set to head abroad for sunnier climes and join A-League outfit Melbourne Victory, according to reports.

Tony Pulis favourite Ryan Shotton looks to be heading off to sunnier climes.Tony Pulis favourite Ryan Shotton looks to be heading off to sunnier climes.
Tony Pulis favourite Ryan Shotton looks to be heading off to sunnier climes.

“I can still be at Championship level. It’s just a matter of waiting to see what comes up,” he said.

“As it stands it’s a tricky situation and I understand there’s not a lot of money in the game.

“If the right thing doesn’t appear, I have a young family and I’m not going to sell myself short.

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“I’m hoping to be sorted in the next three to four weeks. The January window will get things moving before Christmas and, as fixtures come so quickly, clubs are going to need an injection of players.

“I benefit from that because not many will be able to go and pay £1m to sign someone. I can bring experience and hopefully the right manager and the right team will happen.”

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