Sheffield Wednesday finally got their man on deadline day as Owls boss Garry Monk clinched the loan signing of Connor Wickham with less than an hour to go.
The situation
There became an increasing need for the south Yorkshiremen to add a new striker in January as they were relying on top goalscorer Steven Fletcher far too much, and then when he went down injured against Brighton in the FA Cup, that need increased tenfold.
He’ll be out for the foreseeable future as his initial diagnosis was around eight to ten weeks. Monk even pleaded publicly that he needed a new frontman.
No player in the squad has been able to match the 32-year-old’s 12-goal tally despite all other options being given a chance, next best is Jacob Murphy with four for the season, per WhoScored.
That is why Wickham has been brought in.
The risk
However, his arrival comes with great risk attached to it as his career at Crystal Palace has been blighted with injuries since the day he signed.
The 26-year-old has only managed to start 26 matches in four years at Selhurst Park and the type of problems he has faced is as long, if not longer, than a shopping list – a bruised rib, cruciate ligament damage, a groin strain, calf strains, and multiple knocks and niggles.
Wickham has provided encouraging signs over his fitness in recent matches, coming on as a substitute in four of Palace’s last six matches while he was still at the club, playing a total of 75 minutes per Transfermarkt.
But that’s not enough to allay any sort of fears over his long-term conditioning.
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He’s going to be needed to fill a big void and Monk is simply playing with fire if he possibly thinks Wickham can be relied on. All it will take is one injury, and the Owls are back to square one in the shape of Jordan Rhodes and Sam Winnall.
And in other news, Sheffield Wednesday secured this January addition ahead of their Championship rivals…
