Sheffield Wednesday backed to end 'ridiculous situation' as transfer eyed - but 'we should be really embarrassed' | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday have struggled to get much out of their frontman recently

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sheffield Wednesday are said to be exploring the possibility of loaning out striker Ike Ugbo.

That’s according to a report in The Star, who state that options in the MLS and Canada, who Ugbo has played for as an international, are being explored.

The 27-year-old initially had a successful loan spell with the Owls at the start of 2024, but has been unable to reach those heights since signing personally.

We asked our Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, whether this move is right for the Owls and if Ugbo has it in him to go out and score goals for a loan club.

Ike Ugbo might score on loan, but it may not help Sheffield Wednesday

Speaking to Football League World, Patrick said: “Yeah, so regarding the rumours about Ike Ugbo being loaned out, I think personally I will have to state that we should really be embarrassed that in this season, with the complete decimation of our squad and our real need for players, someone who was signed for £2.5million is being loaned out.

“It just shows how little a contribution he has made to the club since signing permanently, and yeah, I think that it is a good idea if we could get him out for a while, because he is really offering nothing at all when he's been on the pitch.

“And it's not just a temporary loss of form, it's a chronic loss of form, so yeah, with the season completely done, there's no point carrying on with Ugbo, hoping that he will finally score a goal.

“Will he score goals on loan? Well, the history of his career shows that that is the only time he does score goals.

“So, I wouldn't be surprised if he went somewhere and started banging in a few, but that doesn't mean that if he came back to us afterwards, he would ever start doing it for us again.

“So, yeah, if we can get him out, get some of his wages off the books, then just look to see if any youngster can come in and take his place because it's a ridiculous situation, but it's probably ultimately best for both parties if he went out on loan in January.”

An Ike Ugbo exit would make sense for both parties

There is no hiding the fact that Ugbo has struggled at Hillsborough Stadium since signing his permanent deal in 2024, which is said to have cost the Owls around £2.5m at the time.

It’s easy to see why the Yorkshire side were tempted, as the former Canada international scored seven in 18 appearances on loan from French side Troyes in a short-term loan deal the season prior.

That has been a theme of Ugbo’s career, who came through the youth system at Chelsea.

Throughout his career, he’s racked up decent numbers in terms of goals for the likes of Cercle Brugge, Troyes, Cardiff City and Wednesday, but whenever that’s landed him a permanent deal, his goalscoring abilities seem to turn off.

As Patrick says, and as logic suggests, it therefore wouldn’t be a surprise to see him do the same for the second half of this season, but it won’t necessarily help his form for the Owls.

It will help get some of his considerable £20,000-per-week wages, based on Capology estimates, off the books.

That figure makes him joint-second highest earner at the club, just behind what Barry Bannan has been on this season, and with the club in a perilous financial position, while getting no real output from Ugbo, it makes sense to offload him, even temporarily.

The best case scenario here, as it has been for clubs in the past, is that Ugbo impresses on loan, and tempts a club into a permanent move, to claw back some of the initial outlay Wednesday invested in Ugbo.