Sheffield Wednesday icon Fernando Forestieri seals shock transfer to English club | OneFootball

Fernando Forestieri is back in English football - but he won't be playing against the Owls

Fernando Forestieri is arguably one of Sheffield Wednesday's best players of the 2010's, but some six years after his Hillsborough exit, he has returned to English football - with a surprise club.

The Italian playmaker, who appeared six times for the Azzurri at senior level, was signed by the Owls in a £3 million deal from Watford in 2015, and he went on to be spectacular and controversial in equal measures.

A scorer of 40 goals in 134 matches for the South Yorkshire outfit, Forestieri was a fan favourite on the terraces, but a hit and miss final year at the club saw the attacker leave on a free transfer - and he's been well-travelled since.

What has Fernando Forestieri done since Sheffield Wednesday exit?

Forestieri returned to his native Italy in 2020 with Udinese, but after just playing 27 times across two seasons, he was on the move to Malaysia, landing at one of the top, if not the primary club in the nation in the form of Johor Darul Ta'zim.

He was prolific as a forward out in the Far East, scoring 25 times for his new club across his debut campaign, and then hitting the back of the net another 22 times in his second year.

After only playing two league games in his final season with Johor, Forestieri returned to Europe and headed to Cyprus with AEL Limassol, and after 24 games in the top flight, the 36-year-old found himself a free agent going into the summer - and he's now found a new club.

Fernando Forestieri has been searching for a new club - he's secured a surprise English move

Spending the majority of the summer at the PFA's free agents training camp, which included playing against other clubs in friendlies, but that camp ended recently with the Italian still without a club.

In August, Forestieri revealed that he feels as though he could still play at Championship or League One level, but he's found a new club that is miles away from the second or third tier of English football.

National League North outfit Oxford City confirmed on Friday evening that they'd put pen-to-paper with the veteran attacker, subject to international clearance, and it's perhaps the last club that many would've expected him to land at.

The link appears to come from City manager Ross Jenkins being a former team-mate of Forestieri's at Watford, and also played against first-team coach Paul Robinson when he was at Birmingham City.

“I’m looking forward to coming back to England," Forestieri told Oxford City's media team.

“I’m happy to be here, and it means a lot to my family now who are settled in England.

“I know Ross [Jenkins] and Robbo [Paul Robinson]. He was at Birmingham when I played, and there are very nice people here.

“I will try my best to help the team.”

Sheffield Wednesday fans react to Fernando Forestieri's Oxford City move

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It's fair to say that this move for Forestieri has come as very unexpected to many, and Sheffield Wednesday fans in particular have been reacting to the move.

One believes that the Italian could still play at a high level in England, although that may be far-fetched at this stage.

This Owls supporter is also astounded that Forestieri has landed at a sixth tier club.

And it appears that Oxford may be gaining a lot more fans from South Yorkshire as a result of Forestieri's shock move.

And the shock amongst the Owls fanbase has only continued to grow.

There'll be plenty of jealous rivals of Oxford that will be watching on, with Forestieri potentially levels above the level he's decided to sign up for - let's just hope he doesn't think he's signed for Oxford United instead of City!