Sheffield Wednesday confirmed the signing of Manuel Hidalgo for an undisclosed fee – their eighth new arrival of the season. The 20-year-old underwent a trial at the club and has now earned himself a permanent deal.
But while Garry Monk has been on the hunt for a new winger, showing interest in Southampton’s Josh Sims, Hidalgo is likely to start in the u23s. He’s signed an 18-month deal with Wednesday but won’t be at the level required for first-team football.
He admitted: “I know I need to take some steps towards the first team. I played for the first team in Italy and I know it’s not the same here. I want to play first for the Under-23s but my main goal is to play for the first team.”
As per Transfermarkt, Hidalgo hadn’t played a single minute of football for US Triestina this season before joining the Owls. His former club are 11th in Serie C (Group B), which is the third tier of Italian football, so the Argentine will need a lot of development as he spent 2019/20 sat on the bench.
Until then, Monk has Jacob Murphy, Kadeem Harris and Adam Reach at his disposal and is expected to add another winger to the squad before the transfer window shuts.
Wednesday are somewhat short in attack with Fernando Forestieri and Steven Fletcher both out injured, but it remains to be seen who’s coming in to replace them. Connor Wickham could join on a season-long loan from Crystal Palace, but the Owls need more than just one player to offset the loss.
Where should Sheffield Wednesday strengthen in the transfer market?
Goalkeeper
Defence
Midfield
Attack
