Sheffield Wednesday disaster a far-cry from £6.5m Middlesbrough transfer: View | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday's signing of Ashley Fletcher has been a far cry from his £6.5 million move to Middlesbrough.

The former Manchester United striker joined the club on loan from Watford this season, following a series of disappointing loans at New York Red Bulls and Wigan Athletic.

He joined Watford in the summer of 2021, following four seasons with Boro in the Championship. The club paid West Ham United £6.5 million for the striker, indicating high hopes for his future at the club.

19 league goals in 92 matches saw him struggle at the Riverside Stadium.

Despite having years of experience in the Championship, Fletcher has been a total flop for Wednesday so far this season.

Since joining the club on loan at the beginning of the season, he has played 23 times for the Owls in the Championship.

During this time, they have been embroiled in a battle against relegation, with just one point separating them and the bottom three at the moment.

However, any positives they may have had are not down to the forward's performances so far this campaign.

Fletcher has failed to score and only assisted once so far in the league this season, a pitiful return for a man who once cost Boro £6.5 million.

He has only played 600 minutes for the club, and has not impressed in his ten hours on the pitch.

His 1.66 shots per 90 minutes puts him in the bottom 20% of strikers in the league, with him hitting below his expected goals of 2.01 by failing to find the net at all (according to Fotmob).

His dribbles, aerial duels won and passing accuracy paint a bleak picture of Fletcher at Wednesday.

He has not performed this season at Hillsborough, and the club will be very unlikely to make a move to bring him in again for next year.

The club will not want to re-sign Fletcher next season

It seems unlikely that Wednesday will want to sign Fletcher again for next season, regardless of whether they play in the Championship or League One.

The club's survival in the second tier hangs in the balance, with the next few games deciding their future. With a striker who could not come up with any goals during a fierce battle at the bottom, they will not want to have to rely upon him again in the future.

Fletcher has shown himself unsuitable for Championship football.

He has scored just 23 goals in 157 matches in the second tier. An even more damning stat is that 11 of those came in a single season with Boro, leaving him with a further 12 goals in six seasons.

A move to another Championship side seems unlikely with that record. His contract with Watford expires in the summer, so he will need to find himself a new team. At the age of 28, you would think he would be hitting the peak of his powers, although that hasn't looked to be the case just yet.

A drop down to League One may be the best option for him, to help regain his form with a view of moving back up the leagues.

This is a long fall from the days of Boro paying £6.5 million for the former United striker, and Fletcher's season at Wednesday exemplifies that.