Sheffield Wednesday hit transfer gold after Watford decision - it’s not Fernando Forestieri | OneFootball

The Owls' £1.5m signing of Daniel Pudil turned out to be some very good business

Sheffield Wednesday have endured a torrid season, although the one major positive is that they’ve seen the back of Dejphon Chansiri.

The mismanagement by the Thai businessman over the years left the club on the brink, with fans fearing for the very future of the club earlier this year.

Thankfully, even though relegation to League One is confirmed, there is reason for optimism around Hillsborough, as the Storch family are closing in on a takeover of the club.

The ultimate aim for the prospective owners will be to take Wednesday back to the Premier League, even if it may seem a long way away right now.

Under Chansiri, Wednesday did come within one game of the top flight, but they fell short after losing to Hull City at Wembley in 2016 - and there was one Czech star in particular who was a key part of that promotion push...

How Daniel Pudil became a popular figure at Sheffield Wednesday

Despite that heartbreaking loss, Carlos Carvalhal’s side are fondly remembered by all connected to the Owls. It was a time when Chansiri was putting money into the club, and there were some real quality players in the team.

Kieren Westwood was a standout Championship keeper, Barry Bannan was a classy operator in midfield, Kieran Lee had endless energy and Fernando Forestieri produced the sort of magic that many Wednesday fans hadn’t seen for a long time.

The latter joined from Watford, but he wasn’t the only one to swap Vicarage Road for Yorkshire, with Daniel Pudil also making the same move.

It’s fair to say the arrival of the Czechia international was low-key at the time, as the Hornets were a fellow Championship side, and he joined on an initial loan deal, with the move somewhat overshadowed by Almen Abdi who also came from Watford at the same time.

Yet, Pudil would quickly become an important figure under Carvalhal, who appreciated his reliability and consistency at left-back, so the switch became permanent the following year for around £1.5m.

The former Genk man had the physicality to cope with the demands of the Championship, and he was also comfortable in possession, which made him key to the way Carvalhal wanted to play.

Daniel Pudil will rue failure to win promotion at Sheffield Wednesday

It’s no coincidence that Wednesday were a better team after Pudil joined, and they recorded consecutive top six finishes in his first two years.

After the defeat to Hull, the Owls came fourth the following campaign, but they suffered another gut-wrenching loss, as Huddersfield overcame their Yorkshire rivals on penalties, with David Wagner’s men going on to win promotion.

That felt like a real missed opportunity for Wednesday, and, unfortunately for Carvalhal, it would be the beginning of the end for his time in charge.

As results dipped, he was dismissed just before Christmas in the 2017/18 season, and Wednesday haven’t got near reaching the Premier League since.

Looking back, failure to go up was a defining moment in Sheffield Wednesday’s modern history, and it was a real shame from a football perspective.

Carvalhal had built a team that could mix it up. Whether it was a physical or technical game, they would be ready, and it would’ve been intriguing to see how they would’ve coped in the Premier League, particularly the likes of Bannan and Forestieri.

Pudil would’ve no doubt had a role to play if Wednesday had made the step up as well, but injuries were taking their toll by the time his deal had expired, and, at 33, he was past his best.

Even though his time in Sheffield didn’t end the way Pudil wanted, he made a big contribution during what was an exciting period for the Owls, and whilst he may have been overshadowed in that side, the £1.5m deal turned out to be very impressive business by the club.