Sheffield Wednesday fans issue Fernando Forestieri plea to David Storch | OneFootball

Could the former Owls forward be angling for a return to the EFL?

The vibes around Sheffield Wednesday - even after being relegated to League One - are majorly positive heading into the new season.

It's a stark contrast to most of the events of the 2025-26 campaign, where things seemingly went from bad to worse on a weekly basis for the Owls, who struggled both on and off the pitch due to the events of former owner Dejphon Chansiri placing the club into administration after over 10 years at the helm.

Thankfully though for all that are connected with the South Yorkshire outfit, there has been major strides to make them a competent outfit again both on and off the pitch, with the arrival of David Storch's consortium - Arise Capital Partners - exciting many.

After solifidying the foundations of the club with some key off-field appointments, attentions have been turned to bolstering head coach Henrik Pedersen's options on the pitch, with Ricardo Santos, Callum Slattery and Jordi Liongola arriving at Hillsborough, and they're expected to be joined in the coming days by Leeds United forward Harry Gray on loan, Aston Villa's Louie Barry on a permanent basis and the return of club icon Barry Bannan.

Bannan's homecoming in particular after a six-month stint at Millwall is set to be welcomed with open arms, and he's not the only ex-Owls star that fans are clamouring for in S6 once more.

Sheffield Wednesday message sent to Fernando Forestieri as he takes in PFA camp

Late on in the summer transfer window of 2015, Sheffield Wednesday splashed the cash on Watford playmaker Fernando Forestieri, spending a reported £3 million on the former Italy youth international, and over the next five years he would produce some moments of genius, but also would be controversial too.

Nevertheless though, Forestieri was a fan favourite throughout his time at Hillsborough, and some six years after he left for pastures new, he has unexpectedly appeared on the list of players heading into Week Two of the PFA's training camp for players who are not under contract to any club currently.

The program has been designed to keep unattached players in shape as potential suitors look at them, with a select number of them playing in pre-season friendlies for the PFA over the course of the summer in somewhat of a showcase.

And with Forestieri being a part of that list of 40 players for the second week of the camp, it has naturally brought a response from Owls fans, wanting the Argentine-born forward to return - even at the age of 36.

It is a sentiment shared by many among the Wednesday fanbase, despite Forestieri's advancing years.

Another fan has told Forestieri he knows what he needs to do for his next move.

And one supporter has tweeted new owner Storch directly to tell him to make his move for 'Fessi' to take him out of free agency.

Where has Fernando Forestieri been since Sheffield Wednesday exit?

Talented yet controversial at times, Forestieri left British shores in 2020 when his Wednesday contract expired, and he headed back to Italy with Udinese, where he did not feature nearly as much as he would've liked.

Forestieri took up a new challenge though in 2022 as a free agent, heading to Asia to play for Malaysian outfit Johor Darul Ta'zim, and it's fair to say he was a success at the 40,000-capacity Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, scoring 50 goals and notching 25 assists over the course of 72 matches, and winning back-to-back top division titles, Malaysian FA Cup's, Malaysian Cups and three Charity Shields.

Back in May 2025, which was his last trip to Hillsborough as a supporter, Forestieri was looking for a Championship or League One club to take him on after his time in the Far East came to an end, but instead he ended up signing for Cypriot outfit AEL Limassol.

In Cyprus, Forestieri was somewhat of a bit-part player, often coming off the bench as his club finished clear of the relegation battle in their top flight - but could his next move be a return to English soil, even if it isn't to Hillsborough?