David Pleat reveals true story behind Sheffield Wednesday signing Paulo Di Canio from Celtic | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday completed the signing of Paolo di Canio in the 1997 summer transfer window

Sheffield Wednesday signed Paolo di Canio from Celtic in the 1997 summer transfer window.

The Owls were in their seventh consecutive top flight season when the Italian arrived to bolster their attacking options.

This was di Canio’s first foray into English football, but he had made a name for himself north of the border at Parkhead, where he spent one season.

He had previously played for the likes of Lazio, Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan, winning a Scudetto at San Siro in 1995/96.

During his time at Hillsborough, he scored 15 goals from 41 appearances in the Premier League before departing for West Ham in January 1999.

He was a key figure in David Pleat’s side as the Yorkshire outfit finished 16th in the table in 1997/98, registering 12 goals and six assists from 35 league games.

David Pleat opens up on Paolo di Canio signing

Pleat has opened up on how he managed to secure the signing of di Canio in the 1997 summer window, despite not getting to see him play during a personal scouting mission during the forward’s time at Celtic.

He revealed that a number of taxi drivers all recognised him during his trip to Glasgow, informing him that he was both their best player and not set to feature in the game the now 81-year-old was about to attend, and that this was enough to convince him to pursue a deal.

“I went to Scotland, I remember I got a taxi from the airport to the hotel, taxi driver said ‘oh you made a mistake today Mr. Pleat’ — every taxi driver in Glasgow knows who you are — ‘you made a mistake today, I think di Canio’s not playing’,” said Pleat, via The Managers podcast.

“So I pretended I didn’t know di Canio, I said ‘why?’

“‘Well he’s our best player, we’ve only got one bloody player here’.

“I got another taxi to the ground, another taxi driver, same thing: ‘you’re wasting your time today’.

“I thought can two taxi drivers be wrong, I don’t know.

“I saw the team sheet, for sure he’s not playing.

“Left 10 minutes early to get the plane back from Glasgow to Heathrow, third taxi driver coming back: ‘wasted journey today, great player, he’s the only player we’ve got, big argument with Fergus McCann, you’ll be able to buy him’.

“So I never saw him.

“Got back to Sheffield on the Tuesday, saw David Richards — not one of my best chairmen — came in, ‘well, David, what are we going to do about di Canio?’

“I said: ‘chairman, you’ve got to sign him, I think he’s terrific’.

“Three taxi drivers can’t be wrong! I didn’t tell him that, I knew that, I’ve heard enough.”

Di Canio proved a divisive figure during his time in English football, both as a player and as a manager, and the Owls saw that up close when he received an extended 11-game ban in 1998/99 for shoving referee Paul Alcock.

But during his 18 months at Sheffield Wednesday he proved that he was a top attacking talent, which led to his switch to West Ham.

The Italian enjoyed a four-year stint with the London outfit, where he contributed 48 goals and 31 assists in the Premier League before joining Charlton Athletic.

Di Canio moved back to Italy in 2004, ending his career with two seasons at Lazio before returning to England in a managerial role with Swindon Town in 2011 and Sunderland in 2013.

Meanwhile, Pleat departed Hillsborough in 1997, just a few months after securing the signature of di Canio from Celtic.

His return to management came with Tottenham Hotspur, where he had two stints as caretaker boss before becoming the permanent head coach at the club for the second time in 2003.

Paolo di Canio transfer proved worthwhile for Sheffield Wednesday

Clubs didn’t have the amount of footage or data of players that we have now, so managers going on a personal scouting mission meant a lot more.

That Pleat didn’t even get to see him play was a genuine missed opportunity, but he made the most of it by listening to those taxi drivers in Glasgow.

Di Canio only spent 18 months with the Yorkshire outfit, but his signing proved a success, and he was instrumental in ensuring the team survived relegation in 1997/98, when they finished just four points above the drop.

While di Canio went on to achieve greater things at West Ham, his performances will still be remembered fondly by those Sheffield Wednesday fans who can remember those 18 months he spent at the club, even if his final months were shrouded in controversy.