How Bolton Wanderers stole Sheffield Wednesday’s millions - Cardiff City gave big cash windfall | OneFootball

Gary Madine scored 28 goals in 113 appearances for the Owls

Sheffield Wednesday's loss became Bolton Wanderers gain after the latter picked up Gary Madine for free and eventually sold him to Cardiff City for millions.

Despite scoring 28 goals in 113 appearances for the Owls and helping fire them to League One promotion in 2012, Madine was among 11 players released in 2015 when their contracts expired.

His time at Hillsborough was marked by an 18-month prison sentence for two assaults in 2013 that saw him serve just over four months before returning to the club. He was 23-years-old at the time.

Wednesday's head coach, Stuart Gray, decided Madine wasn't worth retaining - a decision that would prove to be expensive.

Although he did tell the club's website: "Releasing players is never an easy process because I have worked with these boys for some time.

"They are good, honest professionals," Gray added.

Gary Madine turned his career around under Phil Parkinson at Bolton Wanderers

Newly relegated to League One and operating under heavy financial constraints, Bolton Wanderers swooped to sign Madine on a free transfer two months after his Wednesday release.

The move had to be met with doubt from Trotters' supporters, who would've perhaps been underwhelmed by a striker who had scored just three Championship goals the previous season while on loan at Blackpool.

After not really impressing in Greater Manchester under Neil Lennon - one fan likened him to be "a bit of a balloon", Phil Parkinson managed to get the best out of him.

The then-48-year-old joined the Trotters in 2016 from fellow League One rivals Bradford City after compensation was agreed between the two.

In the 16/17 season, Madine finished as the Whites' joint-leading goalscorer with 10 goals - and Bolton secured promotion back to the Championship.

His performances led to Bolton tying him down with a new two-year contract.

"Last season was great for me and the club," Madine said upon signing his extension.

"I really think we may surprise a few people next season," he added.

Cardiff City gave Bolton Wanderers a big payday

By January 2018, Madine had scored 10 goals in 28 appearances for Wanderers during the first half of the season.

Cardiff City were sitting just outside the automatic promotion places and desperate for firepower - Neil Warnock had been tracking the striker for weeks.

"He's been my number one choice all season and I'm delighted to capture him," Warnock revealed upon completing the deal.

"He's been worth the wait, although I must admit that it wasn't until the last 24 hours that I thought it might be possible," Warnock continued.

The fee the Bluebirds paid was reportedly £6m. Bolton president Ken Anderson had previously stated it would take an "exceptional offer" to sell Madine.

Even though Madine scored and assisted against Cardiff a month before arriving, across 28 appearances in three seasons, he failed to score a single goal for the Welsh club.

The Gary Madine, Bolton Wanderers sale was a missed opportunity for Sheffield Wednesday

Warnock's assessment of Madine's impact on Cardiff's promotion campaign does provide some indication of what Wednesday had let slip. "For me, we would not have been promoted without him last season," he declared when Madine later joined Sheffield United on loan.

"He won us six or seven points just by how he played up front."

Warnock may have just been trying to save face because the striker didn't score for Cardiff, but his presence and work-rate on the pitch did seem like the sort of qualities that clubs were willing to pay big money for.

So, for the Owls, watching Gary Madine command a £6m transfer fee must have felt ridiculous, but also a 'what if?' scenario. Yes, the club's decision to release him was understandable, but they ultimately lost out on millions.