Sunderland AFC the real winners despite losing Sheffield Wednesday transfer battle: View | OneFootball

Sunderland were reportedly interested in signing striker Ike Ugbo this summer before he re-joined Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield Wednesday's three-game unbeaten run came to an end as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Hillsborough on Saturday.

Wednesday had picked up seven points from their previous three games, recording impressive victories over West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City during that time, but they found it much tougher against Burnley.

The Owls started brightly and looked dangerous, but they were made to pay for their missed chances when Jaidon Anthony capitalised on Yan Valery's error to give the Clarets the lead in the 37th minute.

Burnley doubled their advantage shortly after half time when captain Josh Brownhill slotted home, and they almost added a third, but substitute Jeremy Sarmiento's header hit the post.

The defeat saw Wednesday drop down to 18th in the Championship table, three points clear of the relegation zone, and they are back in action when they host 13th-placed Swansea City on Tuesday night.

Owls manager Danny Rohl described his side's display as "a good performance against a strong opponent", and he admitted the Clarets' clinical finishing was the "big, big difference" between the two teams.

It is fair to say that Wednesday do not possess the same attacking quality as Burnley, but Rohl will have been disappointed by his side's profligacy in front of goal on Saturday, and the continued struggles of big money signing Ike Ugbo will be increasingly concerning for the German.

Ike Ugbo needs to deliver for Sheffield Wednesday

Ugbo initially joined Wednesday on loan from French side Troyes in January, and he scored seven goals and provided one assist in 19 appearances in the second half of last season to help his side to survival.

Without Ugbo's goals, it is unlikely the Owls would still be in the Championship, and he understandably became a firm fan favourite at Hillsborough during his temporary spell.

Signing Ugbo on a permanent basis was always Wednesday's main priority this summer, and while they faced strong competition from Stoke City, Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland, they eventually completed a deal to bring the 25-year-old back to the club in August for a reported fee of £2.5 million.

Spending such a significant fee marked a shift in approach from Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri, who has been somewhat reluctant to invest in recent years, but it was a clear indication of the faith Rohl has in Ugbo, and big things were expected of the striker this season.

However, it has been a poor start to the campaign for Ugbo, and he is yet to score in nine league appearances, with his only goal coming in the 5-1 win at Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup in August.

Ugbo's current lack of confidence was underlined by the golden chance he missed in the first half against Burnley on Saturday as he headed over from Barry Bannan's free-kick, despite being just a few yards out.

Rohl has insisted that the goals will come for Ugbo, but he has an xG of just 1.05 in the league this season, and in truth, it is difficult to see him going on a prolific run any time soon.

It is easy to see why Wednesday were so keen to sign Ugbo permanently given the impact he made during his loan spell, but the warning signs of potential future problems were there towards the back end of last season as he scored just once in the final two months of the campaign.

Rohl will be reluctant to write Ugbo off just yet, but there is no doubt that he has been underwhelming since his full-time move to South Yorkshire, and the other clubs who were keen on him this summer may be breathing a sigh of relief that they lost out to the Owls, with Sunderland likely to be particularly thankful they did not get a deal over the line.

Sunderland signed a big Ike Ugbo upgrade in Wilson Isidor

While Stoke, Birmingham and QPR were all in the race for Ugbo, no team came closer to hijacking Wednesday's move for the striker than Sunderland, as revealed by The Star in August.

As it turned out, the Owls did complete a deal for Ugbo just a few days after news of the Black Cats' interest emerged, meaning the Wearside outfit were forced to look elsewhere in their search for a striker.

Sunderland did eventually sign two strikers in the closing stages of the transfer window - Wilson Isidor and Ahmed Abdullahi, while Aaron Connolly joined as a free agent last month following his release by Hull City.

Black Cats supporters are yet to see much of Abdullahi and Connolly as they build up their fitness, but Isidor has made an outstanding impact at the Stadium of Light since arriving on loan from Zenit Saint Petersburg, and the Frenchman's performances mean that the disappointment of missing out on Ugbo has long been forgotten.

Isidor has scored three goals in his first seven appearances for Sunderland, with his latest strike coming in the 1-0 win at Hull on Sunday that saw Regis Le Bris' side move back to the top of the Championship table.

The 24-year-old showed incredible pace and strength as he ran from inside his own half, held off Cody Drameh and neatly finished past Ivor Pandur to seal all three points for his side, with the remarkable solo strike further endearing him to the Black Cats fan base.

In contrast, Ugbo is coming in for increasing criticism from Wednesday supporters after another ineffective display against Burnley, and Sunderland will certainly be feeling that they got the better deal with the signing of Isidor.