Meyler closes in on permanent move

Bruce has made the permanent acquisitions of Meyler and fellow loanee Robbie Brady, of Manchester United, his top priority in the new year window.

He was last night closing in on the first half of that dual aim with Meyler finalising terms on a deal believed to be worth in the region of £1.5m.

Meyler, 23, a Republic of Ireland international, joined the Black Cats from Cork City in July, 2008, but struggled to force his way into the picture at the Stadium of Light after recovering from two serious knee injuries.

However, he has prospered under former boss Bruce since joining Hull in November, helping the Tigers climb into second place in the Championship and the thick of the race for the Premier League.

Meyler scored three goals in 10 games – including a header in the win over Leeds United last Saturday – during a loan spell that ran until New Year’s Day.

“It’s a good sum of money and fair play to the owners again,” said Bruce.

“David gives us something that we hadn’t got since he’s come into the team. He can only get better as well. His career has been cut short by a knee injury and he’ll get better the more he plays. That athleticism makes him a great competitor.”

Bruce has also been in talks with his former employer Sir Alex Ferguson about acquiring Brady again, while Millwall have expressed an interest in signing Aaron Mclean.

Leeds, meanwhile, face competition from Championship rivals Crystal Palace and Blackpool for the signing of their former loan midfielder Jerome Thomas.

Thomas impressed during a month’s loan at Elland Road, but after returning to West Brom early due to illness, Leeds have been busy trying to secure his services.

Manager Neil Warnock – who is also in discussions with Stoke about another deal for Michael Tonge – said of Thomas: “It will be a permanent deal or nothing.”

Barnsley are bracing themselves for interest in their star striker Craig Davies.

The 26-year-old will be out of contract in the summer and has told the club he wants to see what opportunities develop this month.

Crystal Palace are said to be interested in the Reds’ top scorer, while Sheffield Wednesday are also in the hunt for a striker, with Jay Bothroyd now having returned to QPR.

Owls boss Dave Jones yesterday concluded his first business of the window when midfielder Liam Palmer agreed to a two-a-half-year contract extension at Hillsborough. The 21-year-old Scotland Under-21 international spent the first half of the season on loan at Tranmere, helping them rise to the top of League One.

Rovers want him back at Prenton Park, but Palmer is attracting attention from a number of clubs.

Danny Wilson is already staking a claim as the busiest manager in the region.

The Sheffield United chief will complete a six-figure deal for Motherwell forward Jamie Murphy today.

The 23-year-old former Scotland Under-21 player was at the club’s Shirecliffe training ground on New Year’s Eve to agree terms before flying back up north to play his final game for Motherwell against Celtic yesterday.

Wilson has already brought in former Stoke defender Danny Higginbotham on a deal until the end of the season.

The 34-year-old has vast experience of the Premier League and was all set to continue a loan spell at Championship side Ipswich when he received a call from his former Stoke team-mate and Blades striker Dave Kitson on Sunday.

“I know Dave well, he rang me on the Sunday and just mentioned United were interested,” said Higginbotham, who played 90 minutes on his Blades debut against Doncaster on Tuesday.

“I was desperate for the opportunity to come here and I was thankful to the club and to the manager for wanting to get me here.

“This football club is a sleeping giant.

“The club can take four to five thousand fans to games, and it was similar at Stoke where the crowd can push the club on.

“I’m delighted to have this opportunity and the aim is to win promotion for this football club. Everyone is pulling in the same direction.

“The biggest thing I gained (from Tuesday) was it’s a team that wants to stick together. At 2-0 down (against Doncaster) a lot of teams would have taken their medicine and packed in, but we fought back and got the point.

“It’s a close-knit set of lads, a good bunch and there’s a good team spirit, and the draw at Doncaster showed that.

“You don’t come back from 2-0 down through luck. At Stoke we always kept going to the final whistle.”

Rotherham United have been successful in their bid to make Lee Frecklington’s move to the club permanent.

The Millers’ League Two promotion rivals Gillingham had threatened to hijack Rotherham’s efforts to turn the transfer from a loan into a permament one.

But the deal was sealed last night with the Millers paying Peterborough a “substantial undisclosed fee” for Frecklington, who scored four goals in 16 appearances while on loan at the New York Stadium.

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