Sheffield Wednesday struck bargain agreement for striker once worth £12m | OneFootball

Steven Fletcher was a reliable striker for Sheffield Wednesday following his move to the club in the summer of 2016.

In the summer of 2016, Sheffield Wednesday brought in Steven Fletcher on a free transfer after the striker was released by Premier League outfit Sunderland.

Fletcher made the move from Wolves to Sunderland for £12 million in the summer of 2012 as a result of the Midlands club being relegated to the Championship, despite the striker's 12-goal effort in the 2011/12 campaign.

Four years later, the Scottish forward was available as a free agent, and the Owls pounced, and Fletcher went on to help guide Carlos Carvalhal's side back to the play-offs for a second successive year after their Wembley defeat to Hull.

Netting 38 times in 136 appearances for the club, the bargain deal to bring Fletcher in turned out to be a bargain one. He left the club on a free transfer in 2020 and went on to join Stoke City.

Fletcher was a reliable goalscorer before Sunderland release

Fletcher began to make a name for himself in English football with Burnley as they looked to tackle the Premier League for the first time in the 2009/10 campaign.

Despite the Clarets' relegation, Fletcher's 12 goals that season saw him earn a £7 million move to Wolverhampton Wanderers, who had been promoted to the top flight alongside Burnley in 2009.

Across his two years under Mick McCarthy and Terry Connor at Molineux, he finished as the club's top scorer, reaching double figures in the Premier League twice. However, his tally of 12 was not enough to steer Wolves away from relegation in May 2012.

Sunderland were chasing the relegated man, and Wolves were adamant that the striker would not leave the club unless the Black Cats met the valuation of £12 million set by the Midlands club.

After submitting a transfer request, Fletcher moved on to Sunderland, where he would go on to score 23 goals across 108 appearances for the club, with his tally reaching one goal less than the tally accrued during his time in the Midlands, where he netted 24 times in 67 appearances.

After a far from fruitful loan spell with French outfit Marseille in the second half of the 2015/16 term, Fletcher was released by Sunderland and was a free agent heading into the summer of 2016.

Bargain acquisition was more than reliable for the Owls

Signing for the club in the summer of 2016, Fletcher netted 10 goals during the Championship regular season, as the Owls reached the play-offs for the second year in a row under Carlos Carvalhal.

Wednesday's form went on to decline in the following years. However, the striker was a regular under a host of managers during his time at the club.

His flashes of Premier League quality were something Wednesday would get used to over his four-year association with the club, with his final two seeing him finish as top scorer for the blue and white side in league competition.

Fletcher left Hillsborough shortly before the end of the extended 2019-20 season, and he departed after scoring 38 goals in 136 games for the club.

The 36-year-old joined Stoke City in August 2020, scoring 12 goals in 82 appearances for the Potters before having spells with Dundee United back in Scotland, and Wrexham as they looked to carry on racing through the leagues in 2023.