Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough must always agree on ex-West Ham man | OneFootball

Ashley Fletcher never managed to hit expectations in the Championship

Aged just 21, Middlesbrough agreed a £6.5 million deal for then-West Ham striker Ashley Fletcher, who was once highly-rated out of the Manchester United academy.

Fletcher had only spent one year at the London Stadium-based club, having arrived there in 2016 following his United contract expiring, and on the back of being one of the main characters in Barnsley's promotion to the Championship in the 2015/16 campaign, netting two and assisting two in the successful play-off campaign.

From that year with the Tykes, Fletcher had proven he was a Championship-ready striker, but the switch to West Ham in the Premier League was an immediate step too far. He made 20 appearances for the Hammers, with his only goal coming in a League Cup defeat to Manchester United, his former employers.

That hadn't dimmed the shine on him, though, and when Boro dropped a healthy seven-figure sum to bring him to the Riverside, many felt that he'd be able to kickstart his career for a club that had just been relegated from the top flight and had ambitions of an immediate return.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be for him there, or actually any of the other sides he represented in the Championship, either.

Ashley Fletcher's poor Championship innings at Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Wigan Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday

Barring one average campaign in the 2019/20 season, Fletcher was never really able to show any goalscoring prowess in the Championship.

Just months after his £6.5 million switch, the frontman was on the move once again, signing on loan for Sunderland on deadline day in the January 2018 transfer window, after scoring just once for Boro in the opening half of the campaign.

The Black Cats were battling against a second successive relegation in front of Netflix's cameras for their 'Sunderland til I Die' documentary, and his arrival didn't exactly provide the necessary boost to stay up, as he would have to wait until March 30 for his first win at the Stadium of Light.

Now, Fletcher had a relegation to League One on his CV, which he contributed towards, having scored just twice in the remainder of the campaign, but he returned to Middlesbrough with hopes of breaking back into the Riverside fold.

Five goals in 21 games in the 2018/19 campaign was a modest return, but it would be the following season where he'd play the majority of his games in a Boro shirt.

Under Jonathan Woodgate, he played 43 times, scored 11 and assisted seven, but that coincided with Middlesbrough recording their lowest league finish in 30 years. Boro were just outside the relegation zone on goal difference when Woodgate was sacked, and new manager Neil Warnock guided the club to 17th place come the end of the campaign.

A hamstring injury in the opening stages of the 2020/21 season phased him out of the side again, and when his contract was up at the end of that year, Fletcher opted to depart for newer pastures and a Premier League return with Watford.

It wouldn't be long before he'd be back. The forward played just three top-flight games before being loaned out to the MLS with New York Red Bulls. Then, even though the Hornets were relegated and were now playing in the second tier, they opted to continue loaning him out to fellow Championship sides.

Thus came his spells at Wigan Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday in back-to-back seasons. At Wigan, he picked up his second Championship relegation, as the Tics finished bottom. He ended the campaign with just two goals in 26 appearances.

At Wednesday, though, he wouldn't find the net in 23 games. The Owls would record their worst start ever to a league season that year, beginning the season with three points in 13 games, and despite improved results, Fletcher wouldn't feature much under Danny Rohl, his final appearance coming in February, where he was sent off against Millwall in an 11-minute cameo.

That spell at Hillsborough was the last time to date he's played Championship football, and he's found his feet once more in League One with Blackpool over the last 18 months.

Ashley Fletcher may struggle for Championship football again, given poor track record

Now entering his early 30s, Fletcher has carved himself out to be a top third-tier striker, netting double digits in both campaigns with Blackpool. In fact, the 2025/26 campaign has seen him score more league goals than in any other season in his career.

However, the likelihood of him getting another Championship move seems slim, and it's mainly due to the showings he's displayed there in the past.

Fletcher has just 23 goals in 157 appearances, which equates to a goal every 6.8 games. As a striker, that's not a great return, and while he's definitely shown improvement in front of goal and as a facilitator in League One, there may not be many second-tier sides ready to take a chance on him.

If Blackpool ends up securing promotion any time soon, with Fletcher in the side, perhaps he will be afforded that opportunity once more to prove himself in the Championship.

But otherwise, if the striker does end up securing a move back to the second tier, there'll definitely be some Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday fans in confused agreement at how the move came to be, given his record with all three sides.