Celtic player decision paved the way for Sheffield Wednesday icon: View | OneFootball

Glen Loovens joined Sheffield Wednesday in 2013 and became a key player at Hillsborough

Highlights

It's fair to say that as free transfers go, Glenn Loovens' move to Sheffield Wednesday in 2013 was a very successful one, and the Dutch defender is still fondly remembered at Hillsborough.

The former Celtic man was invited to train with an Owls side battling relegation in December 2013, with the club in the Championship relegation zone, having won just once all season prior to Loovens arriving.

The free agent subsequently impressed during his time training with the club, earning a short-term deal, which eventually saw him extend his stay at the club until 2018.

Bringing Loovens to the club to train was one of Dave Jones' final acts as Wednesday boss, and whilst he was actually sacked before the defender signed, the club went onto reap the rewards in the years to come.

Sheffield Wednesday reaped the rewards of Celtic's Glenn Loovens decision

Loovens had spent four years at Celtic between 2008 and 2012, making 88 appearances in total for the Hoops, but fell out of favour during the second half of the 2011/12 campaign.

In total, the two-cap Dutch international played just 16 times during the 2011/12 campaign, and subsequently moved on in the summer of 2012, joining Spanish outfit Real Zaragoza.

However, his time in Spain wasn't particularly fruitful, and he was in and out of the team, playing just 23 times, before leaving after just one season, and becoming a free agent.

It appeared that Loovens' career was falling apart before his eyes after two substandard seasons, and he was a free agent for a number of months before Jones gave him the call to come and train at Sheffield Wednesday.

Jones had previously worked with Loovens at Cardiff City, where the player had spent two seasons prior to his move to Celtic, and his previous connections with the player, coupled with Wednesday's poor form, meant he was keen to bring him in to see what he could add to the Owls' squad.

Ironically, before Jones had the chance to sign Loovens, he was sacked with the club in serious danger of relegation from the Championship, but the club decided they'd seen enough from the Dutchman, and he signed a short-term deal just two days after his former boss departed.

Celtic's decision to let Loovens leave for Spain in 2012 paved the way for him to join Wednesday, and it's fair to say he paid back the Owls for giving him a chance.

Glenn Loovens became an icon at Sheffield Wednesday

Loovens officially signed for Wednesday on the 3rd December 2013, and he made his debut that same day, playing 89 minutes as the Owls beat Leicester City 2-1, picking up their second league win of the season.

It was an immediate impact, and he'd go onto become a regular in the starting XI throughout the season, even skippering the club at some points, an impressive feat considering he only joined in December.

Wednesday survived comfortably after Loovens' arrival, finishing 16th, and his short-term deal was subsequently extended.

He was handed the captaincy for the 2014/15 season, and was a mainstay in the side before a season-ending injury saw him ruled out from the end of January onwards, but it was clear that signing the defender on a free transfer was a coup.

However, Loovens' greatest moment in a Wednesday shirt came during the 2015/16 season, when he led an unfancied Owls side all the way to the Championship play-off final, but defeat to Hull City ended their promotion hopes in what was Carlos Carvalhal's first season in charge.

It showed how far the club had come since Loovens' arrival that they had gone from being in the relegation zone to reaching the play-off final in just two-and-a-half years, and he was well on his way to reaching cult-hero status.

The 2016/17 season saw the former Celtic man tasked with skippering the Owls yet again, and they reached the play-offs once more, losing on penalties to Huddersfield Town in the semi-final in heartbreaking circumstances.

The following season proved to be Loovens' last at the club, and despite starting as club captain, he struggled for regular playing time under Jos Luhukay following Carvalhal's departure, and he was subsequently released in the summer of 2018.

He went out on a high, skippering the side as they beat Norwich 5-1 on the final day, and it was a chance for the Owls' faithful to show their appreciation after an outstanding four-and-a-half years at the club.

Signing the Dutchman was a gamechanger for the Owls, and it's no coincidence that two of their most successful seasons in recent history came with Loovens at the club.

Celtic's decision to let him leave the club in 2012 was the catalyst for Loovens' arrival at Hillsborough in the winter of 2013, and Wednesday fans won't forget the Dutchman's contribution in a hurry.