Sheffield Wednesday have “agreed” a deal with Parma to extend Alessio Da Cruz’s loan and only have “paperwork” to finish, says Garry Monk. The 23-year-old’s existing deal ends on June 30, so Wednesday are looking to keep him for another month as they have eight more games to play this season.
Monk explained in his pre-match press conference via Yorkshire Live: “As it stands, it should just be a matter of paperwork now with those guys so we are very pleased with that. They all wanted to commit to it and finish the season off. I think all the other clubs have agreed and it is just a matter of paperwork as it stands now.”
Da Cruz joined on loan from Parma in January and went on to make eight appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and making one assist. The 23-year-old regularly featured under Monk and can be signed permanently this summer, but he didn’t exactly set the place alight so it remains to be seen if Wednesday want Da Cruz beyond 2020.
The Owls manager isn’t blessed with a lot of depth, with only Adam Reach, Jacob Murphy and Kadeem Harris at his disposal, so Da Cruz may be worth keeping as backup for another month. Unless Wednesday promote a player from the U23s or U18s, they’re unable to add to their squad.
And despite Da Cruz’s inconsistency, it’s worth noting he scored five goals and made six assists in 13 Serie B appearances for Parma in the first half of this season, so Monk may feel there’s more to come from the wide-man.
Can Da Cruz justify the decision?
