Sheffield Wednesday urged to complete 'statement signing' of Ipswich Town star | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit hopes that the Owls can secure Wes Burns ahead of Championship opposition this summer

It may have taken Wes Burns until his time at Ipswich Town to establish himself as a Championship-level winger, but now that his contract at Portman Road is up, it's expected that the Welshman will be heading to the second tier at the very least.

He remains in discussions with his current club over an extension, but with their Premier League status re-established ahead of next season, it'll be difficult to see the 31-year-old as a regular part of the plans at Portman Road, so he could be on the move.

Despite that Championship interest, though, Sheffield Wednesday have put their names in the hat of potential suitors as Burns weighs up his next destination, trying to tempt him back to League One to help kickstart the Owls' rebuild under the Arise ownership.

Burns was a key part of Kieran McKenna's Ipswich side, which achieved back-to-back promotions into the Premier League, contributing 14 goals and 18 assists across both campaigns.

Before then, though, he was a capable wideman for a Fleetwood Town outfit who regularly finished mid-table and even broke into the top six on a couple of occasions in 2017 and 2020.

Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit would be "delighted" if Owls signed Wes Burns this summer

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Evidently, Burns' level is above the third tier, so it would be seen as a massive coup if Wednesday could tempt him to South Yorkshire and an even bigger statement of intent ahead of the League One campaign.

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, shares the excitement that a lot of Owls fans would be feeling about the prospect of bringing him in.

"He is a player who is higher than League One, so if we were to get him, I'd be delighted. It would be a statement signing," he said.

"He's a talented player who has played at a higher level and proved his worth. If we can target a player of his ability and have him contribute to our rebuild, then it's positive."

Do you think Sheffield Wednesday stand a chance in their pursuit of Wes Burns? Let us know in the comments.

A lot of the cult heroes who contributed to Ipswich's double promotion were unfortunately left by the wayside when Kieran McKenna needed to improve his side ahead of the top-flight campaign. Burns, however, had his contract extended instead in the infancy of the Premier League season.

He started 12 league games before an ACL injury curtailed his season, and would return to play an important part in getting Ipswich back to the Premier League this past term, scoring and assisting twice in 18 Championship outings.

Understandably, there's a lot of interest from clubs in the Championship, and even in the MLS, which will rival Wednesday's pursuit. Still, if the Owls can somehow come out on top, McKenna hopes that his club will not hesitate to give him a contract, despite him perhaps entering the twilight years of his career.

"I'm mindful that there is interest elsewhere, and I'm not surprised," he continued. "We will have to be prepared for the fact that being in League One will put us in a weak position at times to get players of his ability.

"I'm not worried about the fact that he is over 30. If we are building a squad, then we need experience and youth. He'd obviously bring that experience, alongside a lot of other qualities."

Sheffield Wednesday could lay down a marker for this summer's business with Wes Burns signing

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There are a lot of unknown quantities going into this summer's transfer window at Hillsborough, and a lot of Wednesday fans, and neutral ones alike, aren't wholly sure what direction the Owls will take ahead of their League One return.

With a whole new board setup with roles prioritising long-term planning that weren't even used during Dejphon Chansiri's decade in charge at Sheffield Wednesday, there's understandably a lot of trust and blind faith being put into the likes of Simon Wilson and David Bruce.

If the Owls can get Burns' signature over the line, that would go a long way in legitimising the trust placed in them, as it would indicate that the club aren't satisfied with slowly building themselves back up to being a Championship side — they want to get there immediately.

Even at his worst, the 10-capped Welsh international was a top League One-level winger, but he's proven in recent years that he's easily capable of performing to a promotion-winning level in the Championship.

So, if Wednesday can get this deal over the line early in the window, it would invoke a lot of excitement about what other ambitious deals may be done at Hillsborough this summer and build anticipation ahead of what could well be a promotion-challenging campaign in League One.