Stuart Findlay has had an interesting career path, applying his trade in England, Scotland and USA by the age of 26.

The versatile defender has struggled for regular game time at Philadelphia Union of late and is on the radar of Sheffield Wednesday, Portsmouth, Plymouth Argyle, Blackpool, Barnsley, Preston North End and Oxford United according to Football Insider.

Findlay swapped Kilmarnock for Philadelphia in February 2021 but has made just five starts for the Union since and his prospects of regular game time do not seem to have improved ahead of the 2022 MLS season.

Prior to moving to Kilmarnock, Findlay was on the books at Newcastle United where he was a regular in the club's U23 side, he has never played in the EFL but has gathered a body of experience that should enable him to adapt if a deal is done in January.

Wednesday are light at centre back at the moment, and so Findlay would potentially have an opportunity to establish himself under Darren Moore in the second half of the season. However, with Dominic Iorfa currently out injured, it could become difficult for Findlay to remain first choice on a longer term basis.

Portsmouth too have had their injury difficulties this season with Danny Cowley having to shuffle his pack week on week. Similar to at Wednesday, Findlay would not be afforded much time to get up to speed on the South Coast with Pompey looking to make up ground on the top six.

The Verdict

Findlay's CV does not suggest that he is ready to go into a Championship defence, the second tier is typically of a higher intensity than MLS and if the 26-year-old cannot earn regular game time there it feels unlikely for it to be forthcoming at Preston North End, Blackpool or Barnsley.

Plymouth Argyle could be the most attractive club of the three from a footballing perspective. In terms of the geography, Sheffield Wednesday, Blackpool, Barnsley and Preston are a lot closer to where Findlay has previously played in his career but Argyle would be the most promising move.

Coming out the other side of a difficult run before and after the departure of Ryan Lowe, Plymouth sit sixth and will be confident of taking their promotion push deep into the campaign. Dan Scarr, Macaulay Gillesphey and James Wilson have built a strong relationship at the back, but there is not a lot of depth after that, creating an environment for Findlay to slot into.