£2.5m Sheffield Wednesday star must already be eyeing Hillsborough exit - he's showing a worrying trend | OneFootball

Ike Ugbo has failed to justify his hefty price tag for the Owls

At Sheffield Wednesday, it is off-pitch matters that are, unsurprisingly, dominating headlines, although such developments have also altered the way in which the Owls' collective performances have been viewed by supporters and onlookers.

Despite the controversial running of the club under Dejphon Chansiri's ownership, it had looked as though - against all odds - the South Yorkshire side were making sufficient strides of progress under the management of highly-rated German boss, Danny Rohl.

That is, of course, until circumstances quickly turned sour between the former Wednesday manager and Chansiri, with initial rumblings of discontent in the spring of 2025 not helping the club's on-pitch mission of making a late run for the play-offs, but still ending the season in a respectable position of 12th.

Since then, circumstances at Hillsborough have been well-publicised, with Henrik Pedersen and his current squad left in the rather unfortunate position of achieving what many perceive as an 'impossible task' as the recently instilled Danish head coach, who took over from Rohl just nine days before the start of the current campaign has been left with a threadbare squad severely lacking in depth, quality and overall Championship experience.

Of course, the punishment of six transfer and registration-related embargoes and restrictions have been the root cause of the matter. Yet, with only 12 players on the club's books older than 22, more would certainly be expected from some of those in said category, and none more so than Ike Ugbo.

Ike Ugbo has failed to justify his £2.5m price-tag at Sheffield Wednesday

Ugbo's spell in South Yorkshire began in January 2024, joining from French outfit, FC Troyes, after previously scoring four times in 20 appearances on loan with Cardiff City.

As Wednesday looked to continue building momentum under the aforementioned Rohl amid a dramatic relegation battle, the Canadian international emerged as a popular figure in the latter stages of the campaign, with his work rate and desire, coupled with a tally of seven goals in 19 appearances, integral in the club's 'Great Escape' mission that was achieved on the final day.

As such, it seemed a no-brainer when the now-cash-strapped side parted with a sum of £2.5m to secure the forward's signature on a four-year-contract, showcasing the belief the Owls had in the striker to continue an immediate and long-term upward trajectory.

Yet, whilst plenty of his teammates earned praise for their individual performance levels as Wednesday made encouraging progress in Rohl's only full season at Hillsborough, the same cannot be said for the ex-Chelsea man.

The nine-time international started in just 15 of his 34 league appearances without registering a single goal, which led to an immediate fall down the pecking order.

However, such is the desperate set of circumstances the Owls are currently in, Ugbo has become a regular fixture under Pedersen, featuring in all but one of his side's league games thus far, as well as ending a 14-month barren run in front of goal in the EFL Cup against Bolton Wanderers.

The Wednesday boss was rather complimentary towards the Londoner for his overall performance levels in the early weeks of the campaign. Unfortunately, though, it still hasn't done enough to justify the price tag, and Ugbo could, potentially, be eyeing up a move away due to the dire straits the club are currently in financially.

Ike Ugbo could eye up swift Sheffield Wednesday exit amid form and financial concerns

Of course, Pedersen is way more privy to Ugbo's day-to-day work on the training pitch and is likely to take a more rational outlook on his performance levels.

However, even in their hour of need, Wednesdayites have seemingly lost all confidence in the 27-year-old unless a drastic turn in form comes about sooner rather than later.

This could lead to a potential exit being eyed up by all parties involved, particularly when taking into account the fact that senior players and staff at the club have received their wages late in five of the past six months, with Ugbo ESTIMATED to be on a base figure of £20,000 per week, as per Capology.

It remains to be seen if Pedersen hands Ugbo a third league start of the season at Charlton Athletic on Saturday. If so, the striker will hope to prove the many skeptics wrong.