david wheater

[RobbieSavagesLeg]

Extra cover in defence is a good thing, might even give them competition for position too, which is needed!
We've got rafts of Mids and Forwards to choose from. Back line, not so much.

He might become a first teamer too if ole Cahill goes, non?

[aussie_wanderer]

hope owen coyle can get the best out of him,

[Worthy4England]

3 million for a bench player.

3 million to give us some flexibility across the backline and help cover any injuries (if Coyle thinks that he's a bencher).

Our listed first team defenders are:

Ricketts
Cahill
Knight
Robinson

Samuel (LB) - injured
Steinsson (RB) - injured
Alonso (LB) - not sure about him just yet and no idea whether he could cover RB if Ricketts had to move into CD or CD of his own accord.
J O B (Crash Test Dummy) - injured

[calcalstar]

Give him 4 months working with Cahill in training to develop him then when Cahill goes he could be a worthy and relatively inexpensive replacement. Remember Cahill wasn't the finished article when he joined, not alot of alternatives out there and at least he is English

[boltonboris]

How do we know he's armarked as a bench warmer? Coyle will have told him, if he come here and impresses, he'll be in the team. Otherwise he'd go to Wolves. Knight has a bad 'un every other game at the moment, so who's to say he won't slot in alongside Cahill and relegate Knight to the bench?

[Lofthouse Lower]

Give him 4 months working with Cahill in training to develop him then when Cahill goes he could be a worthy and relatively inexpensive replacement. Remember Cahill wasn't the finished article when he joined, not alot of alternatives out there and at least he is English

My thoughts exactly.

[BWFC_Insane]

Mind, all this debate, and we haven't even signed the bugger yet!

North east journo's suggesting its still some way off as well as apparently negotiations are "very involved" and "unlikely to be resolved quickly".

[thebish]

How do we know he's armarked as a bench warmer? Coyle will have told him, if he come here and impresses, he'll be in the team. Otherwise he'd go to Wolves. Knight has a bad 'un every other game at the moment, so who's to say he won't slot in alongside Cahill and relegate Knight to the bench?

that'd still be a £3million bench warmer though!

[boltonboris]

Aye, but it'd be a Megson benchwarmer..

It'd also prove that Coyle has spent £3 Million improving the team

[CrazyHorse]

Aye, but it'd be a Megson benchwarmer..

It'd also prove that Coyle has spent £3 Million improving the team

Yeah but is that net spend?

[Wandering Willy]

Aye, but it'd be a Megson benchwarmer..

It'd also prove that Coyle has spent £3 Million improving the team

Yeah but is that net spend?

[Ianmooreslovechild]

Sooooo exciting the imminent arrival of our new bench warmer...

i agree woopty doo signing a player from championship
hardly exciting news, weve been here done this b4 when signing shittu etc.

Not at all, Shittu was, as everone knew including Megson, absolute Shittu and was never going to be good enough to start whereas Wheater,as everyone knows looked like a potential England player a couple of years back and is young enough to develop into a quality player.
I do sometimes wonder what planet some posters are on here. The club is short of cash and Wheater is the best we can afford.We can't afford a centre half who will walk straight into the team.
I can see Sheater potentially displacing Knight and who knows he may even be able to form a defensive partnership with cahill.
Knight has done quite well this season but as a pair Knight/Cahill is not proving half the sum of it's parts.

[Armchair Wanderer]

Competition for places is always a good thing. If Wheater comes in and Alonso gets to the stage where he's able to start in the PL the defence is looking ok with at least half a player cover for each position.

[Little Green Man]

Terms agreed with the player, apparently.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 00,00.html

Just requires the Pitch Shirt Chin photo now.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Thought the problem was Boro. Maybe a bit of both.

[BWFC_Insane]

Thought the problem was Boro. Maybe a bit of both.

Problem was Boro DSB. But deal was reached today apparently, Wheater came down for talks and to finalise deal.

All done according to the Northern Echo journalists.

Confirmed tomorrow so they say!

EDIT: Its amazing what you can find out on twitter even though I don't have an account myself!

[keveh]

I haven't really heard anything about him, is he actually meant to be any good?

Worth all this chasing?

[BWFC_Insane]

I haven't really heard anything about him, is he actually meant to be any good?

Worth all this chasing?

Good question, right age, potential, bit of experience.

But he went off the boil since his emergence onto the premiership scene when Boro were offered 8M plus for him and there was talk of an England cap.

Time will tell.

[calcalstar]

He has got 3 goals to his name this season and according to a friend of mine who is a Boro fan they would have been alot worse of without him so far but they need to cash in

[officer_dibble]

HE was dynamite the two years or so he had in the premiership, Boro wanted to keep hold of him for a promotion push, was my memory anyway. Big lad, handy enough in the opponents box...having said that I had no idea he was 6'3, but there you go.

I can only imagine he has gone off the boil and needs a change of scenery. I suppose you wonder about someone who has never moved away from an area all his life and if he can settle in, but he's 23, not 18 so hopefully he should be ok on that front.

Be interesting if he makes the team, shoving him in against Chelsea might be the kick up the arse Zat Knight needs, last match or so been a bit complacent.