Sheffield Wednesday have been linked with a move for Connor Wickham in January after losing Steven Fletcher to injury, but Garry Monk has admitted difficulty in bringing him back to Hillsborough – this comes after the club missed out on Josh Sims, Rhian Brewster and Eddie Nketiah.
Where should Sheffield Wednesday strengthen in the transfer market?
Goalkeeper
Defence
Midfield
Attack
Wickham has struggled for playing time at Crystal Palace this season and will be granted a loan move away, but Wednesday aren’t making a lot of progress in procuring his signature.
Monk explained to Alex Miller of the Sheffield Star: “As I said at the very start, it’s a very difficult market we’re in, that loans market. It’s competitive. It’s not just about wanting a player and agreeing things from your side. It has to be agreed from the other side.
“There’s competition. There’s decisions that need to be made, not just from us. From players that might be involved, from clubs that might be involved. So it’s not just as simple as saying you want that player and we’re prepared to give this. That’s why it takes that time.”
Fletcher is expected to be out for two months after damaging his knee and will be missed as he’s Wednesday’s top scorer this season. The 32-year-old contributed eight goals in eight games before picking up the injury, so he’s hard to replace.
Wickham scored nine goals in 17 games in two loan stints at Wednesday (February 8, 2013 – March 14, 2013) (November 1, 2013 – January 27, 2014), but he may not have the same impact at Hillsborough this time round.
The 26-year-old has racked up only 243 minutes of football due to injury problems, so he’s going to be rusty. It remains to be seen if Monk can bring him back to Sheffield, but fans may have to temper their expectations for Wickham if he does.
