Jordan Ayew is heading to Sheffield to sign for a new club, and either United or Wednesday are about to get themselves a new forward.
Which one? Well, journalist Gary Al-Smith knows a lot more than he’s currently letting on.
He says Ayew has already left Ghana and is travelling to England to complete the move. Blackburn Rovers and APOEL Nicosia can also be crossed off the list.
What Al-Smith won’t reveal, at least for now, is whether it’s Sheffield United or Sheffield Wednesday who has actually got him.
“Where he’s headed is likely Sheffield, one of the Sheffield clubs, one of the Sheffield clubs. That’s where he’s going,” he said. “He’s left Ghana already. He’s going to sign.”
Blackburn and Cyprus ruled out
Ayew has been without a club since the World Cup, so there has naturally been plenty of talk about where he’d end up. APOEL were one of the clubs mentioned recently.
Al-Smith says there was something to that story, but it never got particularly far.
“The links were true. The concrete contact was not,” he said. Ayew didn’t want Cyprus. He wanted to keep playing competitive football in one of Europe’s bigger leagues instead.
Blackburn were another possibility, but Al-Smith is much more definite on that one: “He’s not going to Blackburn Rovers.”
Southampton are also ruled out in his original update. That leaves either Sheffield United or Sheffield Wednesday, with Al-Smith saying everything will be confirmed once Ayew arrives and signs.
He could even skip Ghana games
Al-Smith explains Queiroz had actually been working behind the scenes before his appointment became public. He had already decided to keep his captain involved.
There’s an obvious problem, though. Ayew hasn’t played competitive club football since the World Cup and hasn’t had a pre-season. That means his first few days at whichever Sheffield club he’s joining could be particularly important.
“Even though he’s gotten a call-up, he might decline and not play in these qualifiers,” Al-Smith said. “That’s a decision that he would make in the next couple of days, I’m told.”
The journalist adds it will also depend on how his new club view the situation. Ayew could travel back to join Ghana for matches against Ivory Coast and Gambia. Alternatively, he could stay in Sheffield, get integrated and work on being ready for the season.
First comes the signing. And then, presumably, Al-Smith will finally tell everyone whether it’s Sheffield United or Sheffield Wednesday.
