Sheffield Wednesday told £2.5m man is an 'utter waste of time' - he can't be part of reset | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has shared their views on the future of Canadian striker Ike Ugbo

The end of the 2025/26 Championship season is on the horizon, and there will be few clubs more eager to see the back of this campaign than Sheffield Wednesday.

It has been a year to forget for Sheffield Wednesday fans, whose time in the Championship will come to an end this May, ahead of their return to League One.

From minute one of the season, the Owls were more than up against it, dealing with off-field issues revolving around former owner and Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri, with the club eventually entering administration and receiving a point deduction.

Unable to bring any players in over the summer, whilst seeing an array of talent leave over the past 12 months, few more notable than the long-serving Barry Bannan, there has been little to shout about at Hillsborough this year.

With a lack of quality and depth in their ranks, nobody has been able to step up and provide much hope, and almost none have been more disappointing than Canadian striker Ike Ugbo.

Sheffield Wednesday told to part ways with Ike Ugbo this summer after horror stint with the Owls

27-year-old forward Ugbo ought to be entering the prime of his career, but at the present moment, that couldn't be further from the case.

After enjoying a six-month loan spell with Wednesday in the second half of the 2023/24 season, scoring seven in 18 league games, Ugbo made the move to South Yorkshire on a permanent basis for £2.5 million from French side Troyes.

However, since then, things haven't exactly gone to plan for the Canadian, who has failed to score in 55 league appearances since his permanent switch nearly two years ago.

Football League World's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick, has provided their thoughts on whether he could see Ugbo refinding his form in League One next season, or whether the club should just cut ties this summer.

Patrick said: "Ike Ugbo's time at Sheffield Wednesday is quite frankly done, and I'd just love to be able to get rid of him in the summer, even if we have to lose money on him; he's just a complete and utter waste of time.

"The fact that we are over 50 games into his permanent spell here, and he hasn't got a goal or an assist in the league or even looked like getting one, it's really not good enough, and there's no point sitting here trying to reel off excuses for him.

"No professional footballer should be performing at such levels. Of course, this season has been horrendously tough for the players, but he has not stepped up at all.

"You know, I'm not saying it's easy to be a Sheffield Wednesday player right now, but he almost just looks so disinterested and off it, and in a season where we needed someone like Ugbo to step up, he just hasn't.

"So next season is all about a reset, and Ugbo isn't part of that reset. So yeah, I would like to get him out of the club at the first opportunity and just put his spell with us behind us."

Sheffield Wednesday to enter a new era next season without Ike Ugbo

The future of Sheffield Wednesday remains uncertain, though there is no doubt as to what division they will be playing in next season.

Preparations for life in League One will have already begun to take shape long ago, though few plans can be made at this time, given that a buyer has still not been confirmed, with transfer sanctions still imposed on them at this present time.

A consortium led by David Storch has emerged as the preferred buyer of the club, though no deal has yet been agreed, and the club remains in limbo.

Whatever the case, the Owls' squad will likely look completely different next year, with Ugbo one of the probable departures.

Though under contract until the summer of 2028, his £20k per week wages, as estimated by Capology, will likely be too much for Wednesday to stomach in the third tier, let alone in the second.

Shifting him off the books and both parties having a fresh start is likely to be the best outcome for all parties, as the Owls will almost certainly cut ties with Ugbo this summer.