Sheffield Wednesday told why Huddersfield Town transfer could be so important | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit is excited about the prospect of signing Joe Taylor this summer

The floodgates are now open at Sheffield Wednesday when it comes to signings, as towering defender Ricardo Santos kicked off what is set to be a hectic summer transfer window at Hillsborough.

New Owls chairman David Storch stated last week that the club will be signing players "pretty much every day now," with it being reported since that as many as 20 new faces could be arriving at the South Yorkshire club between now and September 1.

After bolstering the backline, the clear short-term focus now is to ensure that the frontline doesn't get left behind when it comes to some much-needed improvement, and Wednesday have highlighted Huddersfield Town's Joe Taylor as a potential target, per Football Insider.

The 23-year-old's future at the Accu Stadium is uncertain, after he spent the latter half of last season on loan at Wigan Athletic following a first half which saw his chances in the Terriers fold limited under Lee Grant.

At Wigan, he began to showcase why Huddersfield spent £3 million on his services back in January 2025, netting 11 in 21 third-tier outings, bringing his overall tally to 15, after scoring four league goals in West Yorkshire before his short-term move.

Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit backs Joe Taylor to continue late-season form at Hillsborough

Action Images

In an ideal world, Huddersfield would be benefiting from the loan spell, as he'd be able to return to the Accu Stadium with plenty of momentum to carry into next season.

However, it feels like the ship has sailed when it comes to Taylor being a permanent fixture of the Terriers squad next season, especially after they confirmed the arrival of Ashley Fletcher from Blackpool, who also netted 15 last season.

If he does find himself at a fellow third-tier side, it would be a massive coup for Sheffield Wednesday, given his track record in the division away from Huddersfield, and FLW's Owls fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, is understandably excited about the reports.

"That would be a signing I'd be pleased with," he said.

"His career has been mixed at times, but at the end of last season, he hit some great form. As a striker, at the end of the day, they're there to score goals, and our squad lacks goal scorers.

"If we were to get him early in the window, then we could get him embedded into the squad through pre-season and hopefully keep that scoring run going."

Currently, Wednesday's striker core includes youngsters Charlie McNeill, George Brown and Will Grainger, Ike Ugbo, who hasn't scored a league goal in over two years and Jamal Lowe, who last netted in the double-digits in a campaign back in 2020/21.

Evidently, a potent number nine is required at Hillsborough this summer, and Taylor has proven in spells at Wigan and at Lincoln City earlier in his career that he can be as good a striker as you can get in League One if he plays in the right environment.

McKenna hopes that Sheffield Wednesday can provide that environment, which will give him the basis to kick on even further and act as one of the first promising pieces of recruitment that the club could profit from in the future.

"At 23, it seems like he's kicking on, and if we can get him at Hillsborough and get some supply for him, next season he has a chance to push on even further," the fan pundit continued.

"He's clearly the sort of player who we'd be looking out for as part of our recruitment, and he'd be a useful signing for us."

Joe Taylor would be a sign of Sheffield Wednesday's ambition if they could pull off the deal

Action Images

Understandably, after his brilliant scoring run at Wigan and his similar short loan spell at Lincoln a few years earlier, there's enough to suggest that Taylor could easily be a Championship frontman next season, despite a dud year at Huddersfield.

Wigan director Lucas Danson stated that Taylor would "go very well in the Championship next year" when an optimistic Tic fan asked if he would be signing with them permanently at a fans forum back in April, and the Football Insider report states that Blackburn Rovers are rivalling Wednesday in their pursuit of the 23-year-old.

If the Owls can beat out interest from Championship clubs for any of their targets this summer, it would be a big deal, as it highlights that, even in League One, Hillsborough is still an attractive place to go and play.

And, if they can take a second-tier-ready striker who is still early in his career ahead of some interested clubs in the Championship, then perhaps the Wednesday rebuild won't involve as many League One campaigns as many expect.