Baggies Midfielder Scott Allan Joins Birmingham City On A Season Long Loan

Allan joins Lee Clark on a season loan deal as the Scottsman makes his championship debut.

Birmingham City have secured the services of West Bromwich Albion midfielder Scott Allan on a season long loan deal. The 21 year old joins the Blues’ squad as manager Lee Clark struggled to bring back former loanee Ravel Morrison from West Ham as he believes that Allan is a perfect replacement, stating many similarities in the players’ attributes.

Clark stated earlier today following the capute of Allan:  “Scott’s been on our radar for some time and is a very talented player. It’s been common knowledge that I’ve been looking for this type of player – a Ravel Morrison-type midfield player. Obviously we’ve tried to bring Ravel back from West Ham but the indications are that after doing so well with us, he’s carried that on in the pre-season with West Ham and he’s impressed the manager.”

Clark implied that Morrison will most likely not be joining the club on a second loan season as he looks set to take his role in the West Ham squad ahead of their new Premier League campaign. Allan began his career with Dundee Utd in which he made 8 appearances at only the age of 18 back in 2010. After a 2 year spell at the club, Blues rivals West Bromwich Albion came calling for the young Scottsman’s signature as he joined the Baggies last year in which he spent 2 loan spells with crisis hit Portsmouth and league 1 outfit MK Dons. Allan is also a Scotland U-21 international in which he has made a total of 10 caps for his country, making his debut for the national team in 2011 against Norway.

Overall, Clark will be delighted with this deal as Allan has been recently linked to the likes of Celtic, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and even Rangers. A player who possesses movement and quick feet will be looking to make a positive impact at St Andrews as this move could even reach a permanent status. As not much is known about the midfielder, Allan looks like a player that requires more first team football in order to enhance his development. As Clark will know that this is vital, Allan could well be part of the starting 11 as the baggies will be keeping an eye on his future performances in the championship.

Wigan Agree Fee With Norwich For Striker Grant Holt

Holt looks set to join the Latics after falling out of favour at Carrow Road

Sky sources have recently confirmed that Norwich City have agreed a fee with FA Cup winners Wigan for striker Grant Holt. The 32 year old is set to meet with boss Owen Coyle to discuss personal terms which will potentially lead to a medical later this week.

Holt joined the Canaries back in 2009 after the powerhouse forward experienced a fantastic 1 year spell at Shrewsbury in which he scored 20 goals in 40 appearances. The 32 year old has scored a total of 64 league goals for the Canaries as he believes that it is time for a new challenge. Knowing that boss Chris Hughton is keen on bolstering his attacking options has made Holt seek first team football elsewhere after stating his view on the striker’s form. After a poor previous season, Holt only managed to net 8 times as his exit out of Carrow Road is looking very likely as Sky Bet have suspended the betting on his move to the DW since dropping to 1/5. If Holt’s move goes through he joins his former striking partner Simeon Jackson out of Norwich after his release last month.

As Hughton is in search of a more agile striker, this opens up much more speculation as a host of players will now be linked with the club. With a total of 177 goals in 444 appearances, Holt has a fantastic football league record as he is certain to make an impact in the Championship. This will make it Coyle’s 7th signing of the summer as the former Bolton boss looks to strenghten his attacking options as the departure of Arouna Kone is due for completion this week.

Keeper Scott Carson Joins Wigan Athletic From Bursaspor On A 3 Year Deal

Carson completes move from Turkey on a 2 year deal.

Wigan boss Owen Coyle continues his summer spending as he welcomes experienced keeper Scott Carson to the DW Stadium. The English international signed from Turkish outfit Bursaspor earlier today for an undisclosed fee. The keeper has agreed a 3 year deal at the club which will see him in Wigan until 2016.

Carson joined Bursaspor back in 2011 from West Bromwich Albion in a deal which was worth 2 million pounds, however despite making 63 league appearances for the club in an impressive spell, the 27 year old believed it was time for a change and felt the championship fitted the bill perfectly. He stated earlier today:

“Coming into a squad with a new look to it is exciting. There are plenty of players coming in at the moment, but there are also a number of guys here who have been at the club for a long time. Everyone talks about how tough the Championship is and they’re right, you have to be at your best if you’re going to come out on top.”

Carson began his career at Leeds United in 2003 in which the English stopper also made appearances for Liverpool, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Atheltic,Aston Villa and the national side. With a career total of 283 appearances, Wigan will be thrilled to add the former England international to their growing squad. With the recent additions of Celtic defender Thomas Rogne and Newcastle full back James Perch, Owen Coyle will now look to the training pitch to make sure the Latics are rock solid in defence. A good signing for the fans as they will be content with a home-grown keeper in the squad as Ali Al-Habsi is still recovering from a shoulder injury.