“Would be a shrewd move by the Cherries” – Bournemouth tracking Sheffield United defender: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield United may have to fend off transfer interest in wing-back Rhys Norrington-Davies from AFC Bournemouth, it has emerged.

As per Football Insider, the Cherries are one of several clubs tracking the Welshman at present, along with Crystal Palace and Leicester City.

The 23-year-old has been a mainstay in a Sheffield United side currently sitting top of the division, making 11 Championship appearances to date.

With the above in mind, below, three FLW writers have offered their personal opinion and final verdict on the links between Norrington-Davies and AFC Bournemouth.

Charlie Gregory

Rhys Norrington-Davies could be a very shrewd signing by Bournemouth. He’s one of those players that perhaps doesn’t immediately get the pulses racing but he’s goes under the radar and is a reliable and steady head.

I’d describe it more as a smart signing. Other names might be more exciting but he does tick a lot of boxes. He has a good level of experience thanks to his time in the Championship and he’s also only 23-years-old.

That means he has the potential to get even better – when he’s already very good – and could be sold on in future for even more money. Having also been a Wales international already, that only makes him a more appealing prospect for the Cherries.

It would be a great move for Bournemouth then but would be a real blow to Sheffield United to sell him.

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Josh Cole

If Bournemouth are indeed keeping a close eye on Norrington-Davies, they ought to consider testing the Blades’ resolve by submitting a bid for him in January.

Signing the Wales international would be a shrewd move by the Cherries due to his versatility as he is capable of playing as a centre-back and as a left-back.

Whereas Jordan Zemura has featured on seven occasions in the latter of these two aforementioned roles this season, he could potentially benefit from some added competition in this particular position.

Although it may take Norrington-Davies some time to adapt to life in the top-flight due to the fact that he has yet to play at this level, there is no reason why he cannot eventually go on to deliver the goods on a consistent basis in this division.

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

I think this is an interesting link and one that potentially depends on how things look in a couple of months.

Come January, for example, if Bournemouth are looking like going down, and Sheffield United continue to look strong in the Championship, a move to the Vitality Stadium would make little sense for Norrington-Davies.

It would definitely be a signing that makes sense from a Bournemouth perspective at the moment, though.

Only Jordan Zemura is a recognised out and out left-back in their current squad and although Adam Smith can play there, you’d rather have Norrington-Davies down that side – a left footer.

This one is likely to be a case of wait and see then. For now, though, Norrington-Davies will undoubtedly be fully focused on winning promotion to the Premier League with Sheffield United.