Josh Windass reveals who he thinks is the best Sheffield Wednesday player ever | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday forward Josh Windass has given his verdict on who is the club's best ever player.

Sheffield Wednesday forward Josh Windass has revealed that he believes winger Chris Waddle is the club's greatest ever player.

Windass initially joined Wednesday on loan from Wigan Athletic in January 2020 before making the move permanent that summer, and it is fair to say he has established a legacy of his own over the past five-and-a-half years.

The 31-year-old has come up with plenty of crucial goals for the Owls in recent times, perhaps none bigger than the 123rd-minute winner he scored against Barnsley at Wembley in the League One play-off final in 2023 to seal the club's promotion to the Championship.

Windass finished as Wednesday's top scorer this season with 13 goals, and he was again involved in some memorable moments, including his stunning strike from inside his own half in the victory over Derby County on New Year's Day, but it was widely expected that it would be his final campaign at Hillsborough with his contract coming to an end this summer.

Speculation about Windass' potential exit gathered pace last month after his father, Dean, appeared to hint on social media that he would be leaving the club, but the Owls surprisingly announced last week that they had taken up their option to extend his contract for a further year.

Josh Windass drops big Chris Waddle, Sheffield Wednesday claim

Unless anything drastic changes over the summer transfer window, Windass will now have the opportunity to cement his own standing at Wednesday next season, and after his new contract was confirmed, the forward took to Instagram to answer a host of questions from supporters on Monday.

Windass gave his opinion on a host of topics in a wide-ranging Q&A session, and among his answers, he revealed that Barry Bannan, Shea Charles and Jacob Murphy are the three best players he has played with during his time at Hillsborough.

However, Windass also weighed in on the debate about who is the club's greatest ever player, and he believes that accolade belongs to former winger Waddle, who spent over four years with the Owls after joining from French side Marseille for £1 million in July 1992.

While a trophy proved to be elusive for Waddle during his time in South Yorkshire, he did help Wednesday to the final of the FA Cup and League Cup in his first season at the club, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the latter tournament the following year, and he was voted the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 1993.

Despite failing to get his hands on silverware, Waddle is still held in the highest regard by many Owls supporters, and it seems that affection is reciprocated as the 64-year-old regularly comments on the fortunes of his former club.

In an exclusive interview with FLW last week, Waddle called for Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri to sell, claiming that he has had "no plan B" and "no money and structure" to take the club forward after his "failed" two-year plan to reach the Premier League in the early stages of his tenure, while he also called for immediate clarity over the future over manager Danny Rohl.

There are plenty of contenders for the title of Wednesday's greatest ever player, including the likes of David Hirst, John Sheridan, Mel Sterland, Roland Nilsson and Benito Carbone, but Waddle must certainly be included in the conversation.

In addition to his goals and assists, Waddle helped the Owls reach the latter stages of cup competitions on multiple occasions, and his passion for the club and desire to see success return to Hillsborough is clear from his long-standing criticism of Chansiri.

While Waddle's legacy is secured, Windass has a chance to write further chapters in his Wednesday story next season after his surprise contract renewal, although with uncertainty still hanging over the managerial situation at the club, he and his team-mates may not currently be feeling too optimistic about the campaign ahead.