Sheffield Wednesday urged to seal transfer agreement for 'standout' £1.5m ace | OneFootball

Jerry Yates' long-term future in S6 has become a hot topic of discussion in recent days

With Sheffield Wednesday's on-pitch fate being sealed for numerous weeks, supporters at Hillsborough are now debating what squad changes they would like to see occur ahead of the club's upcoming campaign in League One.

The Owls saw their squad decimated ahead of the current Championship campaign due to a mass exodus of senior players and management which followed long-standing controversies involving former chairman, Dejphon Chansiri.

As a result, Henrik Pedersen has been largely hamstrung when it comes to the transfer business he has been able to conduct, with all the Steel City side's limited number of incomings coming in the form of short-term loan deals or free transfers.

Whilst Wednesday's immediate future in terms of ownership remains far from clear after the withdrawal of the administrator's initially preferred bid from a consortium led by James Bord, Pedersen's side have certainly put up a fight when it comes to achieving what would be just a second league victory of an eventful campaign for all the wrong reasons.

Despite being relegated back to the third tier by cross-city rivals, Sheffield United, on February 22nd, the Owls have followed what was a long-standing goal drought which stood since Boxing Day with four goals in their last five Championship outings.

Three of those were scored by Luton Town loanee, Jerry Yates, including a well-taken header against his former club, Derby County, in the 2-1 defeat at Pride Park on Saturday afternoon.

The 29-year-old only moved to Kenilworth Road from Swansea City in August, but had struggled to find his feet with the Hatters before moving to S6 on a short-term loan.

Given his previous exploits and current rich vein of form, Wednesdayites have debated whether the forward's permanent signature should be a priority in the summer if the club's current transfer fee restriction can be cut short, or lifted, if the ownership saga is eventually ended.

'Standout' Jerry Yates claim made as permanent Sheffield Wednesday, Luton Town transfer agreement debated

Despite scoring just twice in 22 League One appearances for Luton in the first half of the campaign, Yates is a player with extensive and prolific goalscoring knowhow and experience in the third tier and above.

His current record in League One sits at 23 goals and eight assists in 84 appearances for the likes of Blackpool and Rotherham United, where he both enjoyed promotion success.

As such, Football League World's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, has compared the attributes which Yates would provide next season to those of Lee Gregory, who was a cult figure during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns which the Owls played out in the division, whilst waxing lyrical over the £1.5m-rated ace's recent performances.

"Certainly in the past few weeks, he has started to stand out for us and showed us what he can do," he told FLW.

"I certainly think this would translate to a useful signing at League One level. The fanbase do have to realise what a challenge next season is going to be, and we'll need all sorts of players.

"Yates would be the experienced striker who's able to get goals at League One level. You almost see him in the Lee Gregory or Michael Smith role," McKenna added.

"You know, they're not necessarily top-end Championship players anymore. But, they were effective in League One and brought experience.

"There wouldn't be as much cost when it comes to getting him permanently as well.

"The rest of this season is a good time to assess players for next season and get ahead of the game. I think Yates would be a good signing," he stated.

"If we are going for him, I'd like to think we'd be planning to make a move and get him in for a full pre-season."

Permanent Sheffield Wednesday, Jerry Yates transfer would provide continuity amid squad overhaul

As McKenna alluded to, there are bound to be plenty of changes to the playing squad at Hillsborough in the summer, regardless of who the new owner(s) are, meaning the permanent acquisition of Yates would provide some sort of continuity.

The striker himself has revealed that he is clearly open to making such developments happen, stating: "to be playing in front of fans like that every week would be sensational," after his goalscoring form of late.

However, there is no guarantee that this transfer will be allowed to take place due to the club's current transfer restrictions, as well as the stance Jack Wilshere and Luton would take on the matter.

At present, it appears as though the two sides will be locking horns in League One next season, with the Hatters currently eight points behind the play-off places with 11 games to go after losing a crucial encounter to Reading 3-2 on Saturday afternoon.