Sheffield Wednesday casting eyes over English centre-forward | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday could sign Queen's Park's young forward Max Fiddes

Sheffield Wednesday are assessing whether to sign young striker Max Fiddes, who is currently on trial with the club, for their Under-21s side.

The 19-year-old previously spent time in the Reading academy, and currently plies his trade for Scottish Championship side Queen's Park, for whom he is yet to make a senior appearance.

Fiddes was named as an unused substitute when his club drew 0-0 with Greenock Morton last February, but is still yet to be handed first team minutes by boss Callum Davidson.

Davidson's men pulled off an upset in the fifth round of the Scottish FA Cup on Sunday afternoon, as they defeated Premiership giants Rangers 1-0 at Ibrox thanks to Seb Drozd's second-half strike, while James Tavernier missed a penalty for the hosts in the 97th minute.

Sheffield Wednesday could sign Fiddes for their Under-21s side

As reported by the Sheffield Star, the Owls are anticipating a summer of change within their youth academy sides, when many players will see their contracts expire, and some will not renew their terms at Hillsborough for various reasons.

But that blow could be somewhat softened by the arrival of Fiddes, who played just over an hour for Andy Holdsworth's Under-21 side on Friday, as they were beaten 1-0 by Fleetwood Town.

The duration of Fiddes' trial with Wednesday is currently unknown, but he could be given another opportunity to showcase his talents for the young Owls, when they take on Yorkshire rivals Hull City on Tuesday afternoon.

Prior to joining Queen's Park in January 2024, the teenager was on Southend United's books, and a move to Hillsborough would give him the opportunity to return to the south side of the Anglo-Scottish border.

The addition of Fiddes could be a statement of intent from Sheffield Wednesday

Danny Rohl's senior Owls side currently sit just three points below the Championship play-off spots, despite Saturday afternoon's dramatic 2-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.

Under the continually impressive stewardship of Rohl, Wednesday have established themselves as a genuine top-six contender in their second season back in the second tier, following their 2022/23 League One promotion-winning campaign.

With just 15 games left to play in the Championship, the Owls have a genuine chance of landing a play-off place, but injuries suffered by key defender Di'Shon Bernard and star man Barry Bannan have undoubtedly put a spanner in the works.

Whatever happens, though, the South Yorkshire outfit have made serious progress for a club who avoided relegation back to League One by just three points last season.

The potential addition of Fiddes, meanwhile, would signal that the Owls are also keen to improve their academy ranks, and are still looking to build for the future as well as the present, despite the fact that this summer will likely play witness to several youth departures.