Transfer between Sheffield Wednesday & Reading FC dubbed "strange" - £5m man never "applied himself" | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has given his verdict on the £5m sale of Lucas Joao in 2019

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Lucas Joao’s £5 million sale to Reading from Sheffield Wednesday remains one of their biggest transfer departures in recent years.

It was reported that the Owls received a seven-figure sum for the forward when he made the move to the Berkshire outfit in 2019.

The forward contributed 26 goals and eight assists from 113 league appearances during his time at Hillsborough, with the team reaching the play-offs in his first two years at the club.

However, he missed the second play-off run, as he went out on loan to Blackburn in the 2017 January window, before returning to become a regular in the side until his Reading move.

The Angola international spent four seasons with the Royals, before departing again when they were relegated to League One in 2023.

Lucas Joao didn’t live up to his potential at Sheffield Wednesday

When asked if he’s surprised at the £5 million fee for Joao, even now, FLW’s Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna claimed that it was unexpected that the club made a profit on the forward.

He believes the now 32-year-old never kicked on to become a top performer at Hillsborough, although he did give fans a few good memories during his time with the Championship side.

“I suppose looking back it is a slight surprise that we did manage to make a profit on him,” McKenna told Football League World.

“He does still, to this day, stand as one of our record sales.

“However, it is a bit of a strange one in that he always had the ability and not a consistent basis that he showed.

“However, I still have good memories of Joao, such as his goal against Arsenal in the League Cup, the late winner versus Ipswich, but as well, he is the guy who was in tears when he got his tooth knocked out versus Rotherham.

“He was with us for a couple of seasons, so especially after the two play-off campaigns, there was a real chance for him to step up and establish himself as our main striker.

“But he never really seemed to do it.”

McKenna compared Joao’s failure to apply himself to the likes of Barry Bannan, highlighting the potential that he failed to live up to in his career.

“The application seemed to be lacking, and if you compare him to someone like Barry Bannan, who is always fit and available, always is 110 percent committed,” he added.

“Joao never had that, and I suppose the nomadic nature of his career since he left Hillsborough reflects the wasted potential in him.

“So, it is quite surprising, of the signings we’ve made that we did make a profit on him.

“But, the thing is, if he had applied himself he definitely could’ve done a lot more in his career.”

Sheffield Wednesday were ultimately relegated to League One the season after he was sold to Reading, with the £5 million not being put to good use.

However, Joao did enjoy a couple of standout campaigns with the Royals, most notably his 19-goal return during 2020/21, helping the team finish seventh in the table.

Lucas Joao sale was great business at the time

Sheffield Wednesday did well to get £5 million for Joao at the time, although they could’ve used his 19-goal return during 2020/21, as that was the year they were relegated.

It wasn’t a deal that worked out particularly well for the Owls in the long run, as they were unable to make use of that £5 million by improving the team.

A sale of any player for a fee worth £5 million now would be very helpful given their financial situation, but it’s hard to see that happening due to how vulnerable the club are to low ball offers with Dejphon Chansiri in charge.