Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan has listed the many qualities Conor Hourihane would bring to Sheffield United and West Brom if he was to join either club, in an interview with Football Insider.
30-year-old Hourihane currently plays for Premier League outfit Aston Villa after first joining from Barnsley in 2017 and signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the club.
The Republic of Ireland international then went on to extend his deal in 2019 until the summer of 2022 after playing a huge part in their promotion back to the top flight and made a respectable 27 league appearances in the Premier League during the 2019/20 campaign, but found game time hard to come by last season.
With this, Hourihane was shipped out on loan to Swansea City in January and now he has just one year left on his deal at Villa Park, Dean Smith's side may be willing to cash in on the midfielder.
Recently relegated duo Sheffield United and West Brom are two sides who have registered their interest in the 30-year-old recently with both looking to bolster their central midfielder before the season starts in just under a fortnight.
Former Leeds United and Coventry City player Noel Whelan believes he would be a great Championship signing and in an interview with Football Insider, said: "He is a professional player and a professional person.
"Someone that’s got that fight and desire and the leadership qualities you want in any side. But also the quality to go along with it. He can determine the outcome of a match. We've seen that many, many times.
"He’s a great set-piece taker as well. He's somebody who can drive the team forward. He looks like a bit of a talker and a leader out there on the field as well.
"If he’s not needed at Aston Villa and I’m a Championship club right now, I'm looking for somebody that could determine the result of a game.
"Somebody that players want to speak to in the changing room, a leader and an example for everybody else. I wouldn’t look any further than Hourihane. I think he has been exceptional at every club that he’s been at and shown that right attitude as well."
The Verdict:
Whelan is right in saying Hourihane would be a great signing for the likes of Sheffield United and West Brom, because he has all the physical and mental attributes needed to guide a team to the Premier League after doing it with Aston Villa in 2019.
The Blades have already lost John Lundstram on a free transfer this summer and are also in danger of losing Norwegian 23-year-old Sander Berge, who has continued to attract interest from other clubs over the summer. So this signing is much-needed.
Valerien Ismael's side are also on the lookout for another central midfielder with their chances of Trevoh Chalobah now 'receding' with other clubs including Premier League side Brentford moving for the 22-year-old.
With the quality and experience Hourihane brings and both clubs looking to achieve promotion again, whoever wins the race for the 30-year-old may just have an edge on the loser because he would probably be a key player for both.