Sheffield Wednesday told to avoid emotional Fernando Forestieri signing | OneFootball

Fernando Forestieri is training at the PFA Camp this summer after leaving Cypriot side AEL Limassol

There weren't many good memories of the Dejphon Chansiri era at Sheffield Wednesday, but those first two full campaigns, where the Owls finished in the Championship play-offs, house some real fan favourites.

The likes of Kieran Westwood, Ross Wallace, Barry Bannan, Gary Hooper and Steven Fletcher are all well-remembered at Hillsborough, as is Carlos Carvalhal, who was in the dugout for those years, too. The talisman of those seasons, though, was Fernando Forestieri.

The Argentina-born Italian frontman was brought to Hillsborough in the summer of 2015, beating out interest from Yorkshire rivals Leeds United for his signature, which helped get fans onside immediately.

Forestieri helped Watford get into the Premier League in 2015, but didn't play a starring role in doing so. At Sheffield Wednesday, that would have been different, as he netted 15 times in his first season as the Owls lost at Wembley to Hull City and then 12 the following campaign, where they lost in the semi-finals of the play-offs against Huddersfield Town.

A clear fan favourite, his time at Hillsborough started to wither away as the club fell away from play-off contention, too, leading to his departure in 2020. Now, six years later, some fans are hoping that the now 36-year-old could find his way back to South Yorkshire.

Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit advises against Fernando Forestieri signing

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Every year, the PFA put on training camps for out-of-contract footballers to maintain their fitness in the hope they can get signed on somewhere later that summer. Every year, EFL fans find joy in looking at the list and thinking back to the times when they'd be regulars across all three divisions.

This summer, that feeling of nostalgia is being attributed to Forestieri, who has joined up for week two of pre-season after his contract with Cypriot top-flight side AEL Limassol expired at the end of the season.

Before last season, he had a successful time in Malaysia with Johor DT, scoring 50 times and assisting 25 in three years. Evidently, the Italian knows where the goal is, and with Sheffield Wednesday being linked with old favourites, some nostalgic fans want the 36-year-old to end his career at Hillsborough, where he's played the most games.

FLW's Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, doesn't think that it's a good idea.

"Fernando Forestieri was one of my favourite players of the 2000s; he certainly got us off our feet, and he had some memorable moments in a Wednesday shirt, particularly over those first two seasons," he said.

"Unfortunately, by the time he left Wednesday, his career had faded to an extent, and I think his time came to a natural end here."

While the Owls are set to confirm the return of fellow 36-year-old Bannan this summer, there's an expectation that he'll still be at the level required to help Wednesday in League One, whereas Forestieri may not be.

McKenna hopes that David Storch will turn to some younger players to help balance the squad out, with some veterans already at the club ahead of their third-tier return.

"His career hasn't exactly taken off [since leaving Wednesday], and although he's still playing at 36, it's not the same as a 36-year-old Barry Bannan coming back," he added.

"We need to look to the future, rather than harking back to Forestieri, who certainly isn't the player he was when he last was with us.

"I still hold a lot of affection for him, but for what we need now in this campaign and going forward, Forestieri isn't the calibre of player we should be looking for."

Sheffield Wednesday shouldn't rely on nostalgia too much this summer

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Sheffield Wednesday already have four players over the age of 30 in their squad, and Bannan's imminent return would make that five.

The Owls need a good mix of experience and youth in their squad ahead of next season, especially given the number of academy graduates still in the side, but they risk having arguably too many veteran heads in the team with yet another ageing signing early on in the window.

Forestieri is clearly someone that Wednesday fans remember fondly, and there'd be no doubt that the 36-year-old reciprocates that feeling, too, but when it comes to kicking off the new era under the Arise ownership, the frontman wouldn't really fit in.

With just two goals in 26 games in Cyprus last season, it'd be difficult to tell what kind of impact he'd have on the field, and with the Owls targeting a swift return to the Championship, they need older players to be able to contribute on the field as much as they would off it.

As much as it would pain Wednesday fans, Forestieri likely wouldn't be able to do that, and even with him training with the PFA, the new ownership shouldn't entertain a return.