Ajayi injury setback a blow
West Bromwich Albion centre-back Semi Ajayi has been ruled out for "several weeks" after suffering another hamstring injury in the 2-0 win over Oxford United on Saturday.The 31-year-old was playing for only the second time since returning from a five-month spell on the sidelines following hamstring surgery.But Ajayi was substituted after 41 minutes at The Hawthorns and Albion confirmed, external he will now "enter a period of rehabilitation and will target a return before the season's conclusion"."It's disappointing for him, frustrating for him and for us," boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio WM."He's got all the qualities to be a really, really talented player and he's got real confidence in his mobility to defend, so it allows us to play a higher line in some games recently and try and keep the opposition away from our goal."He'll be a loss but we wish him a speedy recovery and we will get on with it with the fit players. We wish Semi a speedy recovery."Play-off chasing Albion, in fifth, visit Championship leaders Leeds on Saturday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
21 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Things that will be new for Wrexham in the Championship
Phil Parkinson's men finished runners-up in League One this term, securing an historic third successive promotion. The Reds have climbed from the National League to the second tier where they will ply their trade for the first time in 43 years. One positive in going up to the division one below the Premier League is that Wrexham will enter the FA Cup at the third round stage. For a club that has reached the quarter-finals three times in their history, it's about time Wrexham fans experienced another run on the road to Wembley. During their last stint in the old Second Division, which lasted four seasons, Wrexham twice reached the fifth round and they never lost a third round tie. One of the highlights was a 3-1 win at Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest in 1982. Forest were European Cup champions at the time but Dixie McNeil, Mick Vinter and Steve Dowman shut the legendary manager up before the Reds bowed out 2-1 to Chelsea when the fourth round tie was decided following a second replay, and Mel Sutton's side were relegated back to Division Three at the end of that 1981-82 season. During the 15-year non-league nightmare, Wrexham came in at the fourth qualifying round stage and had to win three games just to stand a chance of receiving a plum third round tie against a Premier League side, while two victories were required to reach that stage since returning to the EFL with the Reds entering in round one. But the Reds will definitely be in the hat for the third round draw next season. That's a huge boost and so is the fact that there will be no EFL Trophy distractions, with Championship teams not involved in the competition where Parkinson's men reached the semi-finals this season, playing three group-stage games and four knockout ties. But Wrexham will play more midweek league games in the second tier because of international weekend breaks. There will be no league matches on the weekends of September 6, October 11 and November 15 this year, and March 28, 2026. Although Wrexham got used to playing at big stadiums this season in League One, 20 and 30,000 capacities are the norm in the Championship. The biggest attendance could be away at Sheffield Wednesday whose Hillsborough capacity is a whopping 39,732! With the temporary stand at The Racecourse being taken down this summer and work starting on the new Kop, Wrexham will have the smallest capacity in the division at just over 10,000. The next lowest is Oxford United's Kassam Stadium which has room for 12,500 fans. Parkinson will be able to name nine substitutes next term - two more than he could select in League One and Two, and up from five replacements in the National League. It's been an amazing journey since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney became co-chairmen and while the step-up to the Championship will be the biggest experienced so far, Parkinson, his staff and players are there on merit and will relish the challenge ahead.
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd to earn 'substantial' windfall for player sold less than 12 months ago
Manchester United's Profit and Sustainability concerns are set to be eased with one of their former academy players expected to be on the move this summer, just a year ater leaving the Red Devils Manchester United are set to earn a substantial transfer windfall thanks to former star Maxi Oyedele. The United academy graduate left the Red Devils a year ago for Legia Warsaw, having never played a senior game at Old Trafford. But he has starred in Poland, making 24 appearances in all competitions as Legia won the Polish Cup. That was their first major trophy since 2023, with Oyedele playing all 90 minutes of the final. Though he only joined last summer and has two years to run on his contract, the midfielder is attracting strong interest. Werder Bremen, PSV Eindhoven, Anderlecht, Club Brugge and a number of Championship sides are understood to be monitoring the 20-year-old. There is a release clause in his contract that means he is available for a tick over £5million this summer. There is a growing expectation at Legia that he will be departing the club after just one season. If he does indeed move on, it would bank United a healthy sum, which will go a way towards easing their concerns with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules. The Red Devils are hoping to be busy this summer and any fee received will be greatly appreciated. In a surprise move given he left just 12 months ago, United will benefit substantially from Oyedele's potential transfer. When they sold him last summer, United inserted various clauses into the deal. While they only sold him for a small fee, one of the clauses they inserted was a substantial sell-on clause to ensure future profit. That sell-on clause means that United are entitled to 40 per cent of any fee Legia receive for the midfielder. If he is sold for his release clause, it would see United bank just over £2m. That money would likely go straight into easing their PSR concerns, with a buy-back option also included in the original deal. A departure for Oyedele would come as somewhat of a surprise given his short time in Poland. Speaking in April, the youngster insisted he was happy with life in the capital city. 'It's just funny for my mum because she left Poland to come to England and make a life; I left England to go to Poland to start my journey,' Oyedele told The Guardian. 'Legia was the biggest opportunity. "I don't even think I realised how big of an opportunity it was when I heard about it. I felt like this was the opportunity to play in Europe, the biggest team in Poland. It's my nationality, so it's close to the national team. "It's always a risk to leave it, but it just seemed like the best choice. I couldn't afford to waste another year playing academy football. I could have stayed in England and continued my journey and who knows what would have happened." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Wrexham line up move for Tottenham star as Phil Parkinson looks to strengthen his squad for the Championship
Wrexham want Ben Davies despite Tottenham exercising their option to extend the defender's contract by 12 months at the weekend. Davies has been a Spurs player since 2014 and he featured in 28 games under Ange Postecoglou last season, despite not being a member of the manager's first-choice XI. Davies has played 358 games for Tottenham in total, operating both as a left back and a central defender. He is a popular member of the dressing room and especially close to captain Son Heung-min. Davies recently saw his contract extended until June 2026, which means Wrexham would likely need to pay Spurs a modest transfer fee to land him this summer. Tottenham's willingness to let Davies leave could depend on whether or not they are successful in their attempts to sign Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. Spurs are expected to formalise their interest in 22-year-old Branthwaite next week. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson looks set for a busy summer following his side's promotion from League One to the Championship. Davies has never played below the top tier of English football, having been a Premier League player for his entire club career to date. The 32-year-old made 71 Premier League appearances for Swansea between 2012 and 2014. He has played a further 242 Premier League games for Spurs.
