£18k-a-week Sheffield Wednesday star will surely seek a Hillsborough exit amid new Danny Rohl comments | OneFootball

Jamal Lowe's time at Sheffield Wednesday is seemingly at an end.

Jamal Lowe is a player who has rightfully earned his rise through the tiers of English football, progressing from loan spells at Hitchin Town to the bright lights of the Premier League with AFC Bournemouth.

However, the now Sheffield Wednesday attacker has hit a stumbling block in his career with his time at Hillsborough not progressing as he would have hoped.

Following decent loan spells with Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City away from the Vitality Stadium, he was picked up on a free in the summer by the Owls.

Danny Rohl had hoped the 30-year-old would provide the solution up front, alongside fellow summer arrivals Ike Ugbo and Charlie McNeill.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case, and the German head coach has instead had to rely on the trusted attacking trio of Josh Windass, Michael Smith, and Callum Paterson, who, to their credit, have performed admirably given the circumstances.

It’s been a difficult spell for Lowe, and his recent absence from the squad, coupled with Rohl’s latest comments, suggests that a departure could be on the cards for the £18,000 per week man.

Jamal Lowe's future hinted at by Danny Rohl

This season in the Championship, Lowe has managed just three goals and two assists in 24 appearances, starting only 12 of those games.

In recent weeks, things have taken a further downturn. After a poor first-half showing in a rare start against Cardiff City, he has been omitted from the matchday squad for the last three fixtures.

Speaking on the reasoning behind his absence, it’s clear the head coach has not been convinced by the former Portsmouth man's performances.

"He got an appearance at Cardiff," he told The Star. "The first half from the whole team was not good. You asked me before about my notes through the season? I think about four strikers. Every striker has his moments but also not every striker can be number one. This is my honest part. Then, to manage them, we must then make decisions.

"We cannot bring four strikers on the bench because if we do this then we do not have two wingers, then you ask me about only having two wingers. I can only bring 18 players into the squad and these are tough decisions. At the moment it is Jamal, I try to manage. Maybe on Friday he is involved."

With the likes of young McNeill being preferred ahead of Lowe, it highlights exactly where the striker now stands. Unfortunately, it’s not a situation that looks easy to break out of, and a move in the summer may well be his only route to securing regular football.

Jamal Lowe needs regular football

Lowe’s career has rarely been spent on the sidelines, and if Rohl deems him not up to the required standard, then the 30-year-old must look to move on from Hillsborough.

At his age, game time is essential, and a sideways move within the Championship or a potential drop to a top-end League One side may represent the best path forward. The striker enjoyed his most productive spell in the third tier, scoring 17 and assisting eight in 55 appearances for Pompey during the 2018–19 campaign.

Naturally, any move would have to take his contract into account, with the forward understood to have signed a two-year deal with the Owls upon his arrival.

For both parties, it appears to be the natural next step, and Wednesday would be wise to draw a line under Lowe’s difficult spell in the Steel City by moving him on this summer.