Sheffield leads the way

Last updated : 10 July 2002 By Tony Scholes

Lloyd Owusu has joined Sheffield Wednesday
At Bramall Lane Stan's mate Neil Warnock has made four new signings all of them on free transfers. He has signed Steve Yates from Tranmere, Stuart McCall one of the players released by Bradford City, Gillingham's Iffy Onuora and young Newcastle defender Karl Colley.

Meanwhile across the city at Hillsborough Terry Yorath has certainly strengthened his strike force with the Bosman signing of Brentford's Lloyd Owusu to add the one year loan signing of Chelsea's Leon Knight who scored sixteen goals in a similar loan deal with Huddersfield last season. Leaving Wednesday though is young defender Anwar Uddin who has moved to Bristol Rovers.

Onuora may have left Gillingham but they have been quick to fill the gaps left by his departure and the imprisonment of striker partner Marlon King. In at the Priestfield Stadium come Rod Wallace from Bolton and Kilmarnock's Tommy Johnson. It looks as though the Kent club will start the new season with a former Celtic player and a former Rangers player up front.

Crystal Palace have signed Grimsby's Danny Butterfield on a Bosman. The Humberside club were desperate to hold on to him but there were any number of clubs keen to take him and Trevor Francis was the manager to finally get his signature. Willie Falconer (to Clyde) and David Smith (Swansea) have also left Blundell Park but there is some good news for Mariners' fans, winger Terry Cooke has signed a permanent deal after a loan spell from Manchester City at the end of last season.

We reporter earlier in the week that Norwich had signed Burnley target Paul Heckingbottom on a three-year deal from Darlington, again another Bosman signing and Coventry have now completed a similar deal to take Dean Gordon from Middlesbrough.

New Portsmouth goalkeeper Shaka Hislop
Des Walker has made an emotional return to the City Ground to rejoin Nottingham Forest. He was released by Sheffield Wednesday at the end of the 2000/01 season and returns after a year out of the game at the age of 36.

Millwall's Marc Bircham has joined Queens Park Rangers after becoming one of three players made available on free transfers. The others, Sean Dyche and Christope Kinet, are still at the New Den.

Sir Jack Heywood has told Wolves boss Dave Jones that he will have to sell before he can make any more signings. That didn't stop Jones from bringing in Brentford's Icelandic midfielder Ivar Inigmarsson on a Bosman deal.

All the transfers have been free or loan deals and the only club to be involved in any transfers involving fees have been Preston North End. They splashed out £200,000 on young Manchester City right back but brought in £50,000 with the sale to Luton of former Bournemouth midfielder Steve Robinson.

Finally no transfer review would be complete without a mention of Harry Redknapp and Portsmouth. They have released young full back Alessandro Zamperini who has returned to Italy with Modena (he was a Redknapp inspired signing last summer) but they have also increased their squad with the Bosman signing of Shaka Hislop from West Ham, the keeper who got Adrian Heath sent off at the Turf nine years ago.