We looked at three players Sheffield Wednesday could target if they are unable to bring Ike Ugbo back to the club this summer.
After a terrible start to the season under Xisco Munoz, the Owls appeared doomed to return to League One right away. However, they accomplished safety with a stunning comeback under Danny Rohl, finishing 20th in the standings.
Rohl’s decision to sign a new, long-term contract with the team last week gave Wednesday a significant lift. The German player may have a busy summer ahead of him as he attempts to reassemble his team.
At Hillsborough, fresh contracts have been extended to Cameron Dawson, Liam Palmer, Dominic Iorfa, Di’Shon Bernard, Will Vaulks, Barry Bannan, and Josh Windass. Meanwhile, Ciaran Brennan, Reece James, George Byers, Tyreeq Bakinson, Juan Delgado, and Lee Gregory were released at the conclusion of their contracts.
The Owls will be eager to welcome back some of their loan players this summer. Loanees James Beadle, Kristian Pedersen, Jeff Hendrick, Momo Diaby, Ian Poveda, Ike Ugbo, and Ashley Fletcher have all returned to their parent clubs.
The Star reports that Wednesday has reached an agreement with Troyes about the possible acquisition of Ugbo. However, it is unlikely that a deal would be finalised before Ugbo plays for Canada in the Copa America this summer, and the Owls will probably face competition for his services.
After joining Wednesday in January, Ugbo scored seven goals and dished out one assist in 19 games to help the team survive. However, with doubt surrounding the club’s ability to secure Ugbo’s return, we examined three possible options the Owls may want to take into consideration.
Mika Biereth
According to The Star, they are once again interested in Mika Biereth, an attacker for Arsenal, as of Wednesday.
After being recalled by the Gunners, Biereth spent the first half of the previous season on loan at Scottish Premiership team Motherwell, where he made 15 appearances, scored six goals, and provided five assists. The Owls were eager to bring Biereth to Hillsborough in January, but he ultimately moved temporarily to Sturm Graz.
In 22 appearances for Sturm Graz, Biereth recorded nine goals and four assists, playing a part in the Europa Conference League and assisting the team in winning the Austrian Cup and the Austrian Bundesliga.
According to reports, Arsenal and Sturm Graz will discuss a possible permanent transfer for Biereth. However, Wednesday is hoping to take him on loan, and other UK and European clubs are also showing interest in him, so the Gunners will need to make a significant choice regarding his future.
Despite the fact that Biereth lacks Championship experience, Rohl is obviously a major supporter of the 21-year-old, as evidenced by his repeated transfer window pursuit of the player.
Tom Cannon
Another player that has previously been on Wednesday’s radar is Tom Cannon of Leicester City. The Owls were first interested in signing Cannon on loan from Everton in January of last year, but they lost out to Preston North End.
During his brief stint at Deepdale, Cannon scored eight goals and sent out one assist in 21 games. Following his promotion, Wednesday showed interest in him once more in the summer, but he eventually moved permanently to Leicester City for a figure of £7.5 million.
Cannon didn’t make his Foxes debut until December due to an injury, but it appeared as though he was settling in after he scored three goals in two games against Millwall and Huddersfield Town in early January.
But in the last two months of the season, Cannon only made one substitution and was often left out of the matchday squad entirely, which begs the question of whether he will be around at King Power Stadium in the future.
Cannon might get a chance under a new management if Enzo Maresca leaves for Chelsea soon, but it’s unlikely he’ll play frequently in the Premier League if he was out of favour in the Championship.
There will be no shortage of second-tier admirers for Cannon if he becomes available, as Preston and Blackburn Rovers are rumoured to be considering a summer loan transfer for the 21-year-old.
Wednesday should definitely get into the running for Cannon’s signature because he has demonstrated that he can score goals at the Championship level and because his pressing style would be a perfect fit for Rohl’s style.
Mateo Joseph
Mateo Joseph, a striker for Leeds United, is another player that Wednesday needs to keep an eye on this summer.
This season, Joseph had a fantastic breakthrough season at Elland Road. He made headlines in February when he scored twice in the Whites’ 3-2 FA Cup loss to Chelsea.
Though Patrick Bamford was injured and Leeds was struggling towards the end of the season, Joseph did not get much of a chance until he came off the bench to score a vital late equaliser in the 2-2 draw against Watford a few weeks later.
In Bamford’s absence, manager Daniel Farke chose to start Joel Piroe for all three play-off games, and with the Whites trailing Southampton, the team was in dire need of a goal Joseph was only added in the last seven minutes of the match as the team lost 1-0 at Wembley in the championship.
Joseph made only 20 league appearances this season, all of which came as substitutes, indicating that Farke does not believe the German is yet ready for the Championship. Since the German will still be in charge despite the team’s failure to win promotion, Joseph’s playing time may be restricted again the next season.
The Owls should be monitoring Joseph’s status in case Farke determines that a loan move would be advantageous for his development.
Joseph has been a great asset for Leeds this season, and the idea of working with him is very exciting, especially considering how Rohl has developed young players at Hillsborough thus far.
