Exclusive:Sheffield Wednesday transfer imminent - Norwich City status of ex-Chelsea starlet explained
Sheffield Wednesday are in the final stages of completing a free agent signing, The Star understands.
The Owls have long since been operating with a threadbare squad but have seen their numbers further decimated in the last week thanks to injuries to outfielders Olaf Kobacki, Marvelous Nakamba and Liam Cooper - the latter of which is understood to be likely to miss the remainder of the campaign.
The Star understands those numbers are set to get an imminent boost with the confirmation of the arrival of attacker Zain Silcott-Duberry. After a second stint training with the club behind the scenes at Middlewood Road went positively, Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen told media last week that discussions were taking place with the 20-year-old’s representatives were underway.
Now, after the pace of conversations were eased while preparations for the Steel City derby took place, it appears the former Chelsea starlet will become a Wednesday player after an agreement was reached. The deal is understood to be in its final stages, with EFL ratification a consideration.
The understanding is that Silcott-Duberry - who saw his contract with Greek giants Olympiakos terminated ahead of the closure of the January transfer window - will not be in line to make his debut at Norwich City on Wednesday evening. But for any unexpected complications, the likelihood is that he could stand to make the squad for the visit of Southampton over the weekend.
A highly-rated Chelsea youth prospect, Silcott-Duberry plays off either wing and has one Premier League appearance to his name having come off the bench for Bournemouth in a 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest in January last year. He also made an appearance for the Cherries in that season’s FA Cup.
After making the move to Greece over the summer, he has since played only a few minutes of football since early December but will have benefitted from an extended trial period with Wednesday. This season he has played 11 times for Olympiakos’ B Team in the Greek second tier.