Sky Sports pundit urges West Brom to beat Sheffield Wednesday to ex-Leeds United star | OneFootball

Don Goodman has weighed in on the future of ex-Leeds United player Ian Poveda

Don Goodman has urged West Brom to pursue a move for ex-Leeds United midfielder Ian Poveda this summer.

According to Darren Witcoop, the Baggies are among the clubs keeping tabs on the 24-year-old’s situation following his Elland Road departure.

Poveda struggled for game time under Daniel Farke last season, which led to him moving on loan to Sheffield Wednesday in January 2024.

He earned a lot of plaudits for his performances for the Owls, helping them avoid relegation to League One.

The Colombia international made just 10 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday, with injury issues hampering his availability, but he is attracting interest from the Yorkshire outfit, as well as Cardiff City and Luton Town.

Goodman has claimed that West Brom should be pursuing a move for Poveda this summer due to his potential.

He has also highlighted the relatively low cost of completing a deal as another reason why this is such an appealing potential deal for Albion.

“West Brom are going to need to look at players like that,” said Goodman, via West Brom News.

“While his statistics don’t look good on paper, when you see him in the flesh you can see he’s a player of enormous potential.

“This is now a big choice for him because he needs to find a home, and a club that has a coach able to get more out of him, where he will play regularly in the first team.

“That’s something he’s not had previously.

“He lit up the league last season when he was able to play for Sheffield Wednesday and was an important player to them staying up.

“So I can certainly see why a team like West Brom would be linked with him.

“A player like that, no transfer fee involved and reasonable wage demands I’d imagine, he fits the profile a player like West Brom should be looking at.

“Carlos Corberan has experience of doing that and improving them.

“If they can get Poveda through the door, improve him by 20 per cent, improve his decision making and his output, they could have an absolute bargain on their hands.”

Poveda made 10 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship last season, and was an important player in Danny Rohl’s side when available (all stats from Fbref).

But his contract at Leeds has come to an end, leading to speculation over his future.

A move to West Brom could help the Baggies compete for promotion to the Premier League next season.

However, Carlos Corberan may not be able to offer the same level of game time as Rohl, or other managers in the Championship.

Race for Poveda set to heat up

With so many clubs circling around Poveda, it is surely just a matter of time before concrete offers start arriving for the player.

West Brom should absolutely be in the mix, as he is a promising player that is available at a very low cost comparatively speaking.

Sheffield Wednesday are probably the favourites to sign him due to their history together over the last six months.