Sheffield Wednesday are hoping to sign Joel Ndala from Manchester City ahead of the transfer window closing this evening.
Sheffield Wednesday are in a race against time to try and conclude a deal for Manchester City winger Joel Ndala.
Ahead of the transfer window closing at 7pm this evening (Monday), The Star understands Wednesday are in talks with City to try and sign the 19-year-old, who is currently on loan at fellow Championship side Hull City.
Hull currently have seven loan players on their books after completing the signings of Lewis Koumas and Toby Collyer last Friday evening. Only five loanees are permitted to be included in a matchday squad.
Ndala was left out of the squad for Saturday’s 1-0 triumph over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, and it has been reported elsewhere his loan at Hull will be terminated with a view to sending him to Wednesday.
With the possibility of a temporary move to Hillsborough increasing, The Star has produced a quick profile on Ndala ahead of him potentially becoming Wednesday’s fifth signing of the winter transfer window.
Who is Joel Ndala?
Ndala is a 19-year-old winger who plays for Manchester City and has spent this season on loan at Hull. He joined the Tigers in July, signing for the duration of the 2025/26 campaign.
He is considered as a tricky and direct winger, who has pace to burn. He has made 19 appearances for Hull this season.
What has he done so far?
After starting out in Port Vale’s academy, he joined City in 2017 as a ten-year-old. It was later reported the Premier League club had paid £300,000 to bring him to the Etihad Stadium.
The winger, who will turn 20 in May, started to become a regular fixture for City’s Under-18s in the 2021/22 season, making ten appearances in the Under-18s Premier League, chipping in with three goals.
The following campaign was hugely successful for Ndala, who predominantly plays on the left flank, as he scored 16 goals and registered nine assists across all youth settings for City. Thirteen of his 16 goals were plundered in 20 appearances in the U18s Premier League. He also featured twice for City’s U21s in the Premier League 2 and made one appearance in the EFL Trophy.
Wednesday are hoping to wrap up a deal for Joel Ndala.placeholder image
Wednesday are hoping to wrap up a deal for Joel Ndala. | Getty Images
He became a more frequent operator for the U21s during the 2023/24 campaign, making 11 Premier League 2 appearances. He also scored one goal and registered one assist in two EFL Trophy appearances.
Ndala, last season, joined PSV Eindhoven on loan with an obligation to buy for an initial £5.4 million. However, his time with the Dutch club did not go according to plan, and he returned to City before being loaned out again in January, joining Nottingham Forest’s academy.
Forest, at the time, confirmed the deal could be made permanent but that scenario never unfolded. He made 11 appearances for Forest’s U21s, scoring once.
Ndala was then given the opportunity to be sent out on loan to secure some first-team football last summer, joining Hull. As already documented, he has made 19 appearances for the Tigers, chipping in with two goals, scoring against Derby County in the Championship and Wrexham in the League Cup. He was on the bench for Hull’s 2-2 draw with Wednesday at Hillsborough on Boxing Day.
Winning the FA Youth Cup with City in 2024, he is yet to make his senior debut for Pep Guardiola’s side. However, he has represented England at various youth levels, including the U19s and U20s.
What could he bring to Wednesday?
Pace and hopefully a sense of creativity. He is considered to be a skilful winger, who predominantly plays on the left-wing, but can also play on the opposite flank and through the middle if required.
Scoring just two goals during his time at Hull, there is no doubt Ndala needs to improve his attacking output as a winger, but he has plenty of time on his side to develop that trait.
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