Darren Moore speaks out over Sheffield Wednesday reunion that fell through in January | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore says it was his club’s decision not to re-sign Michael Hector in January.

Hector previously spent the 2018/19 season on loan from Chelsea at Hillsborough, where he won the Owls’ Player of the Season award.

The centre back then joined Fulham permanently after that loan spell ended, but had been a free agent after leaving Craven Cottage last summer.

It seemed last month as though a potential return to Hillsborough was on the cards for the 30-year-old, who spent time training with Moore’s side.

Ultimately though, no deal materialised, and Hector has instead since joined Wednesday’s League One rivals Charlton, on a deal until the end of this season.

Now though, it seems Moore does not regret missing out on this deal, with the decision not to re-sign the centre back, apparently down to the club.

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Speaking about why Hector did not complete a return to Wednesday, Moore told The Sheffield Star: “We felt at the time it was difficult with free transfers. And in terms of where he was [fitness-wise], he was probably where we needed him to be at the time.

“It was about getting through the early stages collecting the data and everything else. It was something we decided against at the time.

“We thank him for his time here, he was good, back with friends, he knows the ground, the history of the club. But it didn’t materialise at the time we needed it to be at and that’s just the football side of it.”

The Verdict

This is an interesting one to consider from a Sheffield Wednesday perspective.

With the injuries they at centre back right now, and the recall of Mark McGuinness from his loan by parent club Cardiff, it did feel as though the Owls may have benefitted from the signing of another centre back in January.

Given his past links with the club, where he certainly made a big impact previously, the return of Hector to fill that role may well have been a popular one around Hillsborough as well.

In the end though, it seems Moore understands the decision the club have made here, and it may only become clear whether it was the right one, when we find out if Wednesday have secured promotion by the end of the season.