‘A bit of Yaya Toure about him’ - Sheffield Wednesday verdict on linked Bristol City player

Until this week, it looked quiet on the Bristol City transfer front with not much out there about players coming in to the club, that has changed however.

News emerging from Tuesday morning saw Sheffield Wednesday midfielder - is it likely to happen as Blackpool make bid?">the Sheffield Star link the Robins with a potential move for Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, though it is just reported interest at the moment.

City are limited as to what they can do in the transfer market right now with Nigel Pearson not afforded the riches of his Championship rivals.

There has been a suggestion of swapping players should it suit both parties, but there is a struggle as to what current player could be used as a makeshift in any potential deals.

Links to Dele-Bashiru could be the early stages of what could be a long pursuit however with the player out-of-contract at the end of next summer, which would appease the transfer hierachy.

Blackpool have already had a bid rejected for him whilst Besiktas and Antalyaspor are also keeping tabs on the player. If The Owls can hold out however, then they may be faced with a choice of letting him go in January or even a free transfer next summer.

The Sheffield Star’s Joe Crann, who broke the news of City’s interest, has now given his opinion to BristolWorld on what kind of player he is and whether a move is viable for both parties.

What kind of player is Fisayo?

On his day, Fizz has got a bit of everything... He's powerful, direct, quick, and has quite the shot on him as well when he catches it. He's a central midfielder by trade, but has also been used as a number 10 and also more wide in the past. To liken him to a big-name player, I think he's got quite a bit of Yaya Toure about him - though he's obviously got a long way to go to be that good!

What are his strengths and weaknesses?

His biggest strength is probably his strength, to be honest. He just boshes people off the ball, and a lot of the time nobody can get near him in that regard. He's excellent at holding people off. His biggest weakness right now is his consistency, but that's to be expected for somebody his age. If he can perform at his top gear for large chunks of a season then he's got the potential to be genuinely excellent.

A defensive midfielder is what is needed at City, how are his defensive attributes?

I think he'd probably be a bit wasted in that position to be honest. He's more about picking up the ball and driving with it rather than tackling and acting as a breaker or first line of defence in front of the backline. He's by no means bad at it, I just wouldn't say it's his role.

Bristol City haven't got much money right now, so how much would Sheffield Wednesday perhaps want for him?

It's hard to put a price on it really given Wednesday's previous reticence to sell players in general. I think with Bristol City it's more likely to be a case of keeping tabs on him for if/when he comes out of contract next summer. Right now you'd be talking a seven figure sum for him at the very least - so I reckon any interest from your end is more of a case of playing the long game.

Nigel Pearson has spoken about potentially trading/swapping players, is there a position at all Sheff Wed might want to strengthen in?

Wednesday are pretty stacked now, really. They've got two players for every position and, even though Darren Moore is still monitoring the market, nothing is a 'must-have' now. A third choice keeper is possibly on the radar, but you wouldn't swap FDB for that position, and potentially a tricky wide player as well - but that's more likely to be a Premier League loan if the right one becomes available.