Sheffield Wednesday will fear costly striker trend is repeating with Ike Ugbo | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday will be concerned that Ike Ugbo is heading in the same direction as former big money striker signings.

It is fair to say that Sheffield Wednesday have had a mixed record in the transfer market during Dejphon Chansiri's decade as owner.

Chansiri bought Wednesday from Milan Mandaric in January 2015 for £37.5 million, and he outlined his ambition of leading the club back to the Premier League within his first two years of ownership, promising significant investment in order to meet that target.

After replacing manager Stuart Gray with Carlos Carvalhal in the summer of 2015, Chansiri certainly delivered on his pledge to spend, and the Owls came close to achieving his top flight goal as they reached the Championship play-offs in two consecutive seasons in 2016 and 2017, but they fell short on both occasions.

Not only did Wednesday miss out on promotion, but the excessive spending during the early stages of the Chansiri era had devastating consequences as the club were relegated to League One in 2021 after receiving a six-point deduction.

In Chansiri's defence, he has provided the funds for plenty of successful signings over the years, but there have also been a few high-profile failed transfer deals, particularly in the striker department.

Sheffield Wednesday will be desperate to forget expensive striker flops

Wednesday have had plenty of quality strikers on their books during Chansiri's reign, but many of those who have delivered at Hillsborough signed on free transfers, including the likes of Steven Fletcher, Lee Gregory and Michael Smith.

One notable exception to that rule was Gary Hooper, who scored an impressive 31 goals in just 89 games during a four-year spell with the Owls after a big money move from Norwich City, but few of the club's more expensive forwards have lived up to those standards.

There was plenty of excitement when Wednesday agreed a deal to sign Jordan Rhodes from Middlesbrough in February 2017, with the striker initially joining on loan before making the switch permanent for a club-record fee of £10 million in the summer.

Rhodes had earned a reputation as one of the most prolific strikers in EFL history after scoring a combined total of 186 goals in 405 games during his spells with Huddersfield Town, Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough, and Owls supporters understandably believed that he would be the man to fire the club to promotion to the Premier League.

However, Rhodes will be remembered as one of Wednesday's biggest ever transfer flops after failing to perform during his time at the club, and he was even loaned out to Norwich City in the 2018-19 season.

Sam Winnall joined the Owls in the same transfer window as Rhodes when he made the move from Barnsley for a fee of £500,000, plus extras if the club achieved promotion, and having poached their local rivals' best striker, supporters were equally excited by his arrival.

However, Winnall's time at Hillsborough proved to be incredibly underwhelming as he netted just six goals in 43 games, and like Rhodes, he also had a stint out on loan, spending the 2017-18 season at Derby County.

Ike Ugbo could follow Jordan Rhodes and Sam Winnall trajectory at Sheffield Wednesday

It seems that Chansiri may have been scarred by the failed Rhodes and Winnall deals as the subsequent years saw a significant reduction in investment from the Wednesday owner, but that all changed in the summer.

Ike Ugbo scored seven goals and provided one assist in 19 games in the second half of last season after joining the Owls on loan from French side Troyes in January, and it is fair to say that without his contribution, the club would no longer be in the Championship.

Wednesday manager Danny Rohl was determined to bring Ugbo back to Hillsborough on a permanent basis, and after fighting off competition from the likes of Stoke City, Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland, the club completed a £2.5 million deal for the Canada international in August, much to the delight of supporters.

However, Ugbo has been unable to reach anywhere near the same levels of form he showed during his loan spell, and despite frequently receiving public backing from Rohl, his goal drought has continued.

It is difficult not to feel some sympathy for Ugbo given that he is evidently short on confidence, but the Owls would have expected much more from the 26-year-old after paying such a sizeable transfer fee for his services, and they will fear he is heading in the same direction as the likes of Rhodes and Winnall.

After poor starts to their time at the club, Rhodes and Winnall were both sent out on loan by Wednesday, and with a refresh of the striker department likely to be on the cards at Hillsborough this summer, there are already question marks over Ugbo's long-term future.

Ugbo does still have the support of his manager, and the Owls fan base have rallied behind him in recent months as he looks to rediscover his form, but as things stand, he will go down as another failed striker signing.