Football
Exclusive: Exeter City and Doncaster Rovers Eye Deal for Former Owls Star Marvin Johnson
Former Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough winger Marvin Johnson is wanted by Exeter City and Doncaster Rovers on free transfers. Both clubs are attracted to his Championship experience after being released by the Owls. Exeter City and Doncaster Rovers are looking to strengthen their attacking options for the upcoming season.
Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds United - Sky Bet Championship by Ed Sykes | Getty Images
Exeter City are interested in signing former Sheffield Wednesday utility man Marvin Johnson on a free transfer, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
And our sources have learnt that League One rivals Doncaster Rovers have also enquired about signing the player on a one-year deal for next season.
Johnson was released by the Owls at the end of last season after four years at Hillsborough in which he played a total of 169 games for the club.
And both the Grecians and Rovers are attracted to Johnson’s vast Championship experience, having played seven seasons in the English second tier.
Johnson was a key player for the Owls last season as they finished 12th in the league.
But the club are in freefall and a string of players have left already before the start of the season with wages unpaid for two months.
Johnson joined the South Yorkshire club in August 2021 after the club had been relegated to League One.
Although, he impressed in the Owls’ side which won promotion back to the Championship two seasons later and has stayed there since.
The 34-year-old started his career with Solihull Motors in Conference North before a move to Conference Premier side Kidderminster Harriers.
A spell with Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership followed and then a move to Oxford United.
DEADLINE DAY DEAL
Middlesborough came calling on deadline day on the last day of August 2017, with Johnson going on to play 103 games for the Teeside club.
Rovers have done plenty of business in the summer window having recruited no fewer than nine new signings through the Eco-Power Stadium transfer door.
Boss Grant McCann has signed three centre backs, but the Northern Irishman is understood to be keen to add more attacking threats.
Former Wycombe Wanderers’ hitman Brandon Hanlan has been signed on a free transfer, while forwards Glenn Middleton and Damola Ajayi have also been recruited.
Exeter, meanwhile, have yet to sign a winger with Jayden Wareham and Kieran Wilson having so far bolstered their goalscoring options.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.