Football League World
·4 September 2024
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·4 September 2024
Sheffield Wednesday may have some regret after seeing Scott Wright score on his Birmingham City debut on Saturday.
It has been a disappointing start to the season for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.
After narrowly securing survival last term following a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl, there was plenty of hope among Owls supporters that the club could climb the table this season.
Rohl signed a new long-term contract at Hillsborough in May, and the positive mood increased further after a strong summer transfer window that saw the arrival of 11 new signings.
However, after an emphatic 4-0 home win over Plymouth Argyle on the opening weekend, it has been a tough few weeks for Wednesday, and they suffered their third consecutive defeat as they were beaten 3-0 by Millwall at The Den on Saturday, with second half goals from Josh Coburn, Duncan Watmore and Jake Cooper sealing all three points for the Lions.
The Owls have now conceded nine goals in their last three league games, failing to get on the scoresheet themselves during that time, and they head into the international break sitting 20th in the table.
Wednesday will be pleased with their summer business, but they are still a little short in the wide areas, and with one of their reported transfer targets, Scott Wright, scoring on his Birmingham City debut on Saturday, they may feel a sense of regret they did not push harder to sign the Scotsman.
Football Insider claimed in July that Wednesday were leading Preston North End and Derby County in the race for Wright, and they are believed to have held talks with the 27-year-old over a potential move to Hillsborough.
It looked as though Wright would be remaining at Ibrox after he started Rangers' opening two games of the Scottish Premiership season and the first leg of their Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv, but he completed a move to ambitious League One side Birmingham on deadline day.
Wright made an immediate impact for the Blues, coming off the bench to score a 91st-minute winner in their 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic on Saturday, and judging by the jubilant scenes of celebration at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, he has immediately endeared himself to the home faithful.
In contrast to Wright's goalscoring contribution for Birmingham, Wednesday's wingers have found it tough so far this season, with Anthony Musaba, Djeidi Gassama and Olaf Kobacki registering just one assist between them in the opening six games of the campaign in all competitions.
Wright, who scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in 120 games for Rangers, was not the only winger to go elsewhere after being linked with the Owls this summer, and they missed out on the signings of both Ian Poveda and Karamoko Dembele to Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers respectively.
However, given that he eventually joined a League One side, the failure to sign Wright may be the most disappointing for Wednesday, and after just one game with his new club, he has immediately shown them what they could have had.
Wright opened up on his decision to drop down to the third tier, telling Birmingham Live: "I was getting game time at Rangers but I just felt like it was time for a new challenge for me. Once I had spoken to them it was a no-brainer. Coming and being part of this project and this journey was something that really interested me.
"I signed on the Friday and it came up on Tuesday or Wednesday, so it really moved at a fast rate, but after having conversations with my family and my wife we thought it was going to be the right step for me."
The opportunity to join the Blues' exciting project was clearly too tempting for Wright to turn down, and given that they broke the League One transfer record on a number of occasions this summer, it may have been tough for the Owls to compete financially.
But amid Wednesday's poor start, questions are beginning to be asked about whether they have enough attacking quality in the squad, and if Wright continues to thrive in the Midlands, they may rue the fact they were unable to get a deal over the line for the winger.