Sheffield Wednesday struck gold with 2019 recruit now starring at Newcastle United | OneFootball

Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy's loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday in the 2019-20 season helped to reignite his career.

It is fair to say that Sheffield Wednesday have had a mixed record in the transfer market under owner Dejphon Chansiri over the past decade.

Chansiri took over at Wednesday in January 2015 when he bought the club from Milan Mandaric, and he spent big in the early stages of his ownership as he looked to achieve his goal of leading the club back to the Premier League within two years.

The Owls came incredibly close to meeting Chansiri's target as they were beaten in the Championship play-offs in two consecutive seasons under Carlos Carvalhal, in 2016 and 2017, but after failing to reach the top flight, the club experienced a dramatic decline that resulted in relegation to League One in 2021.

There have been some notable transfer flops during the Chansiri era, such as the club-record £10 million signing of striker Jordan Rhodes from Middlesbrough and the disastrous £4 million deal that saw midfielder Almen Abdi arrive from Watford, but there have also been plenty of successes.

The loan signing of winger Jacob Murphy from Newcastle United in the summer of 2019 was arguably one of Wednesday's smartest transfer deals in recent times, and while he only spent one season at the club, his impact at Hillsborough will not be forgotten.

Jacob Murphy loan deal was a masterstroke from Sheffield Wednesday

Wednesday were dealt a huge blow just weeks before the start of the 2019-20 campaign when manager Steve Bruce walked out on them to join Newcastle, and his exit threw their plans for the season into disarray.

Lee Bullen was tasked with leading the Owls into the new season after taking over on an interim basis, and ironically, Bruce did his former club a huge favour just days after his departure as he allowed Murphy to make a season-long loan move to Hillsborough.

Murphy had struggled to establish himself at Newcastle since his £12 million switch from Norwich City in 2017, and his career was at something of a crossroads after an underwhelming loan spell at West Bromwich Albion the previous season, so the 29-year-old was under pressure to perform for Wednesday.

The winger enjoyed a dream debut for the Owls as he scored in the 2-0 win over Barnsley, and after Garry Monk was named as Bruce's permanent successor in September, Murphy quickly established himself as a key part of the team under the former Leeds United boss.

While Murphy did not register too many goals or assists in the first half of the season, he played an important role as Wednesday climbed up to third in the Championship table at Christmas, and although his side's form dramatically declined after the turn of the year, his individual performances were not affected.

It was a nightmare second half of the campaign for the Owls as they won just four of their last 23 games of the season, drawing five and losing 14, with Monk's men eventually finishing in 16th place, but Murphy was a shining light during a difficult period for the club.

Murphy ended the season in outstanding form, scoring four goals and providing four assists in the final eight games, and he was Wednesday's second-highest goalscorer behind striker Steven Fletcher, underlining just how impressive his loan at Hillsborough was.

Sheffield Wednesday loan was a turning point for Jacob Murphy at Newcastle United

Wednesday were hoping to secure a second loan deal for Murphy in the summer of 2020, but they were left heartbroken as Bruce opted to keep him at Newcastle, and that decision was certainly vindicated.

After helping the Magpies achieve a 12th-place finish in the Premier League in the 2020-21 season, Murphy was handed a new contract in the summer of 2021, but there were question marks over how much of a role he would play following the club's Saudi takeover.

With Newcastle now having vastly increased financial resources, there was an expectation that an influx of high-profile signings would come through the door, and the signs were initially not good for Murphy, who mainly featured as a substitute following the arrival of Eddie Howe.

However, Murphy proved the doubters wrong as he fought for his place in the team at St James' Park, and he scored four goals and provided two assists in 43 appearances in the 2022-23 campaign as the Magpies qualified for the Champions League and reached the EFL Cup final.

While Murphy had a lengthy spell on the sidelines last season with a shoulder injury, he still managed to cement his spot in Howe's starting line-up, scoring three goals and registering eight assists in 27 games, with one of those assists coming in their memorable 4-1 demolition of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Murphy is currently part of a formidable front three at Newcastle alongside Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, and after a stunning December, during which he scored three goals and registered four assists in six games, he is on course for one of his best ever seasons.

Howe deserves plenty of credit for the improvement he has inspired in Murphy in recent years, but the winger may look back at his time at Wednesday as the turning point in his career.