Sheffield Wednesday may need to strengthen at left-back this summer due to the uncertain futures of Morgan Fox and Adam Reach.
Fox is out of contract in the coming months and has yet to put pen to paper on a new deal, while Reach could be on his way out after a less-than-impressive campaign.
Signing a replacement won’t be easy, however, as the Owls don’t have much of a budget for new recruits. As per Transfermarkt, the majority of signings made by Wednesday in the last four transfer windows have been loans and free agents. But one player who may fit such criteria is Ben Osborn.
The 25-year-old joined Sheffield United from Nottingham Forest last summer but has struggled for playing time at Brammall Lane, with Osborn only making 12 appearances in his debut season and racking up 123 minutes of Premier League football.
As per WhoScored, he failed to start a single league game and made seven substitute appearances. Osborn recently admitted his frustration at a lack of opportunities under Chris Wilder, so Wednesday may have a chance to procure his signature on a temporary basis next season.
He told Yorkshire Live earlier this month: “I found it tough mentally to get my head round. From playing week in, week out you crave that… It’s been frustrating but I can totally understand it and it’s been a learning curve.
“I signed thinking I would get a bit more game time… but I maybe underestimated the quality of the players here and underestimated the consistency that they have. The way we are going it’s exciting to be around.”
If Osborn can’t be guaranteed more playing time in 2020/21, he may be open to a loan move away. He’d be an upgrade on Reach and would provide stiff competition for Fox, but whether the 25-year-old would drop back down to the Championship remains to be seen.
