Sheffield Wednesday, West Brom suffer blow in pursuit of top-tier target | OneFootball

The defender had become a free agent following the expiration of his contract with the French side.

Highlights

Free agent defender Mickael Nade is set to reject a move to the Championship, and sign a new deal with Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne amid links to West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday.

That is according to French news outlet Le Progres on Monday, in what will be seen as a blow to both Wednesday and Albion's transfer plans.

It was recently reported by L'Equipe that the two Championship clubs taking an interest in Nade were the Owls and the Baggies, whilst the French outfit also retained hope that their long-time servant would extend his stay with the club.

Nade has been contracted with Saint-Etienne throughout the entirity of his professional career to date, having made his first team debut for the club back in 2017.

Now it appears that the newly promoted Ligue 1 side have gotten their wish, as the 25-year-old is set to sign a four-year extension with Les Verts (The Greens) - per Le Progres.

It appeared that an exit from Saint-Etienne was inevitable only last week, as it was reported that the centre-back was unhappy with the financial package that the French club were offering him, and was ready to explore his options in England.

West Brom were believed to be 'one step ahead' of the other clubs trying to secure his signature, and were hopeful of completing a deal for Nade by the start of this week.

Concerned over the increasing prospect of losing their star defender, Saint-Etienne have evidently kicked into gear and offered the former Quevilly man the wage packet he had desired.

A left-footed centre-back, Nade would've provided both sides with a valuable tool for both Carlos Corberan and Danny Rohl's tactical brains to work with.

Nade would've been shrewd business

For Championship duo West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday, they will have to go back to the drawing board in their respective pursuits of centre-back reinforcements.

Wednesday have been particularly busy in the summer window so far, having made nine additions to their squad, but crucially in the case of missing out on Nade, none of them are central defenders.

The defensive side of their game wasn't the Owls' main problem last season, with their 13 clean sheets being the eight most in the Championship in 2023/24.

Rather, it was a lack of goals at the other end that prevented them from kicking on up the table. But playing with three centre-backs, as Rohl deployed last season, always commands the need for strength in depth at that position.

As for the Baggies, they also impressed in the defensive department last season, conceding just 47 times in the second tier.

But Erik Pieters and Martin Kelly both departing the club as free agents, and with Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi both entering the new season on the wrong side of 30, Albion could've perhaps done with a relatively youthful injection at that position.

They have, unlike the Owls, completed a deal for a centre-back this summer, with 25-year-old Torbjoern Lysaker Heggem joining from Swedish top-flight side Brommapojkarna.

But the left-footed central defender will be experiencing his first taste of English football next season, and could take some time to adapt to the demands of the Championship.

Therefore, being able to bring in a player who is coming into the supposed prime years of his career, off the back of a promotion-winning campaign to France's top division, would've been a quality addition for both sides this summer.