Sheffield Wednesday can forget Gregory by signing “lethal” striker
Wednesday avoided falling through the trapdoor thanks to a six-match undefeated streak that ended the season, and three straight victories near the finish had everyone connected to the South Yorkshire powerhouse happy.
Even so, there will be a sense at Hillsborough that Wednesday wants to move on and avoid having to fight their way out of the league the next season, and there’s a chance that several promising new players will go in the summer.
Given the recent news that Lee Gregory is now a free agent, the revitalised Owls may even try to revive a failed transfer from the January window.
Wednesday, examining the abandoned transfer goal once more
It’s simple to overlook a significant transfer drama that occurred at the bottom of the Championship table if you go back to January.
Up to the deadline, Blackburn Rovers and Wednesday battled it out for the signature of Duncan McGuire, the striker for Orlando City. The American centre forward appeared to have made a last-minute deal to join the Riversiders at the expense of Rohl’s team.
However, a last-minute paperwork problem prevented a transaction from going through, and Wednesday may now try to pounce once more to exacerbate the situation.
According to The Sheffield Star, Rohl’s team is still a big fan and may try to make a play this time for their rejected transfer target in an effort to lessen the blow of club great Gregory leaving.
How Wednesday’s McGuire would fit in
If a deal can finally be completed, Anthony Musaba would undoubtedly love to start alongside the lethal American center-forward. The 23-year-old winger was having a blast with electrifying performances at the end of the season, especially as games got more competitive.
You could think that if McGuire moves to South Yorkshire, Musaba’s assist total, which stood at a respectable five from 48 games this season, will significantly increase.
Despite the disappointment of a botched EFL transfer hanging over him, McGuire has lived up to the “lethal” description that Orlando manager Oscar Pareja gave him in 2023, scoring six goals in 13 appearances so far this season.
| McGuire vs Gregory – goalscoring record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Games played | Goals scored |
| McGuire | Orlando | 50 | 21 |
| Gregory | Wednesday | 101 | 29 |
| Sourced by Transfermarkt | |||
With the 23-year-old attacker not far off Gregory’s Owls total playing out in America, from half the games, the failed Blackburn signing could come into his own even more by lining up alongside the likes of Musaba in his new location.
In the latter stages of the campaign, Musaba and other attackers at Rohl’s disposal were unstoppable at points alongside Troyes loanee Ike Ugbo with the Dutchman assisting Ugbo’s opener away at Millwall in mid-February before firing home his own effort.
From this point on, the former AS Monaco player had more responsibility for scoring goals in crucial matches. He heroically contributed to the decisive 3-0 victory against West Bromwich Albion in the penultimate game of the season.
In the event that the Owls are unable to permanently acquire Ugbo and require a new face at the top following Gregory’s departure, they may want to consider making another bold attempt to sign McGuire.
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