Aston Villa can help Sheffield Wednesday avoid Norwich City transfer envy | OneFootball

Louie Barry's arrival in S6 could stop Owls fans watching Anthony Musaba's career in envy

Sheffield Wednesday have made the ideal start to the David Storch era with successive victories in the EFL Cup and League One, as Henrik Pedersen's new-look side look to lay down an early marker in the promotion scene.

The mood around Hillsborough at the start of 2026/27 couldn't have been more contrasting to that of 12 months ago, when supporters were still boycotting in S6 due to Dejphon Chansiri's financial mismanagement.

However, after ending their dire relegation season from the Championship on a high note, such positivity has continued on and off the pitch this summer, with a 2-1 win over Leyton Orient on Saturday only adding to that.

As many as 13 signings have already been recruited in this part of the Steel City, and there could still be more in the final two weeks of the summer transfer window, which would only give room for further optimism towards the future, rather than remembering a turbulent recent past.

However, fresh transfer developments coming out of Norwich City may make Wednesdayites feel rather nostalgic about Dutch winger, Anthony Musaba, but there is a new man within Pedersen's side who could rectify that.

Anthony Musaba developed massively during his Sheffield Wednesday spell

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Indeed, the Xisco Munoz era at Hillsborough, which saw the Spaniard go winless in all competitions throughout a short-lived period, isn't remembered by any Wednesday fans with fondness.

But, following their promotion from League One under his predecessor, Darren Moore, Musaba was recruited from Ligue 1 side, AS Monaco.

The aforementioned Xisco stated that Musaba had "big capacity with a lot of ability," although it would be his own successor, Danny Rohl, who got the best out of the winger.

Although not always at his free-flowing best during the 2023/24 season, seven goals and five assists helped ensure the Owls' great escape, before blossoming further in 2024/25 despite a period on the sidelines.

Indeed, Musaba featured in just 29 of Wednesday's 46 league games, scoring three times and posting a further six assists before initially joining Samsunspor during a mass exodus of players from S6 last summer.

Anthony Musaba has grown further in confidence as Championship return nears

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Whilst it was a blow - albeit not the largest by far - for Wednesday to lose Musaba's services, the attacker has grown in confidence during a year-long spell in the Turkish Super Lig, and the Canaries will be hoping to be further beneficiaries of that in the second tier promotion race.

Indeed, the Dutch youth international only spent half of last season donning the colours of Samsunspor, but it soon appeared that he was destined for further success in terms of a transfer after six goals and four assists in 22 games, which alerted the Istanbul giants into making a move.

It has been a mixed start to his spell at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium with two goals and six assists in just 24 outings, but Norwich will feel they have landed a potentially significant coup to deal with the long-term absence of Ali Ahmed, particularly after reported interest in Musaba earlier this summer from Hull City, West Ham United and Wolves.

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But, even though Wednesday are now back in the third tier, Barry, who signed from Aston Villa on a four-year contract last month, will hope to remind supporters at Hillsborough that their current attacking options are exciting and more than good enough to help bring short-term success back to the club.

The 23-year-old has endured a mixed career thus far after initially earning rave reviews during a period at Barcelona's 'La Masia' setup, but has proven that he can be a top-level operator at League One level.

Indeed, after firing in nine goals in just 20 games for Stockport County in League Two in 2023/24, the playmaker notched a further 15 goals in just 23 outings as the Hatters returned to the third tier with a bang themselves two summers ago, before finding it tough going in the past year due to fitness issues.

Louie Barry could give off his own transfer envy at Hillsborough

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Barry, of course, has been viewed as a high-profile signing alongside Barry Bannan's return to S6, but he will hope to give off his own transfer envy by proving doubters wrong at Hillsborough.

Hull City initially captured his services on loan in the Championship, but the ex-Villa man would only make four appearances at the MKM Stadium, but Wednesday supporters will be more keen on him proving a point to those who follow Steel City rivals, Sheffield United.

Barry reunited with Ruben Selles at Bramall Lane last summer following the Spaniard's appointment, and even though Chris Wilder helped drag United away from relegation danger, the attacker wasn't given the chance to shine.

Blades fans only saw him feature nine times before being recalled to Villa Park in January, before spending the second half of the season again at Stockport, despite being sidelined for the most part, as the Cheshire side were defeated in the League One play-off final.

However, if the versatile figure is to get off the mark sooner rather than later, Wednesday fans could be looking at their latest hero.