Jerry Yates’ estimated transfer value - could Sheffield Wednesday make Luton Town swoop this summer? | OneFootball

Jerry Yates has been a minor hit for Sheffield Wednesday even though their losing run has continued. Wednesday should look to make his move permanent.

Sheffield Wednesday fans haven't had much to cheer about in 2026 so far, but a recent upturn in form by one of their on loan strikers may point them in the direction of a better future.

With 14 straight defeats in league and cup as well as the collapse of the bid to buy their club to have had to contend with since the start of the new year, Sheffield Wednesday fans haven't had much to celebrate in 2026, so far.

They were relegated at the home of their bitterest rivals before February had even ended, the earliest relegation recorded in the 138-year history of the EFL, with every possibility remaining that they will become the first in the entire history of the League to finish a season on a negative points tally.

Off the pitch, things don't look much better. The club's future remains up in the air as a result of the withdrawal of the consortium chosen by the club's administrators as preferred bidders, and having to start this process again makes it at least as likely as not that they will be starting the 2026-27 season with a 15-point deduction.

What is Sheffield Wednesday loanee Jerry Yates' estimated transfer value?

At such times, the supporters of a club have to take what pleasure they can take from such a difficult season, and the form of Jerry Yates over their last couple of matches has offered Sheffield Wednesday fans at least a little glimmer of sunlight.

Striker Yates joined the club on loan from Luton Town at the end of the January transfer window, but while Sheffield Wednesday have largely continued to flounder on the pitch, this one player has started to find a little form, having scored in each of their last two matches, a 3-1 home defeat against Southampton and a 2-1 reversal at one of Yates' former clubs, Derby County.

Yates himself had a difficult time of things over the first half of this season with Luton Town after his summer arrival at Kenilworth Road, for a reported 'seven-figure fee', but his goalscoring exploits against Southampton and Derby hint at a player who could seriously benefit Sheffield Wednesday in League One next season.

And for a club under new ownership with money available for new players, he could be affordable - but restrictions mean that's unlikely to happen in the upcoming summer.

Transfermarkt rate his transfer value at just over £1.5 million (€1.8 million), which shouldn't be beyond the financial reach of whoever ends up owning the club next, but the issue remains that the Owls cannot pay any transfer fees for a player until the summer of 2027.

If that can be got around though, whether it's another loan with an obligation to buy in June 2027, or if the new ownership can get the fee restriction wiped out, then he's surely a must-have deal for the new ownership once it goes through.

Jerry Yates has been a hit in League One before - Sheffield Wednesday could make him their talisman

Despite being a regular performer in the Luton Town team in League One over the first half of this season, he could only manage two goals in 22 appearances for them before being moved on to Hillsborough on loan for the remainder of the season in the January transfer window.

Yates spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Derby County, where he scored 10 goals in 42 appearances for the Rams, having scored eight in 43 from Swansea the previous season - both coming at Championship level. But the striker does have pedigree in League One, having scored 20 goals for Blackpool in League One throughout the 2020-21 season.

He had a slow start to his time at Hillsborough, failing to score in his first six appearances for the Owls, but with his last two matches having brought better performances and two goals, he could provide an answer for any new owners hoping to steady Sheffield Wednesday and restore them to the Championship.

With Wednesday having only scored 22 league goals all season, Yates' two goals in two games have already moved him to third place as their top League goalscorer for the season, behind Charlie McNeill on four, and with Jamal Lowe and the departed Barry Bannan on three each.

Luton Town, of course, will also have a say on the matter, and if Yates' recent improvement continues they may seek to have him back with them next season, considering that they seem unlikely to make the play-offs for a return to the Championship themselves this time around.

But the Hatters couldn't make Yates work throughout the first half of this season, so it could be the benefit of both clubs and the player to allow him to make his move to Hillsborough permanent, once new ownership is confirmed for Sheffield Wednesday and if their fee restriction can be brought to an end.