Sheffield Wednesday should look to Luton Town hot-shot if priced out of Ike Ugbo move: View | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday don’t have many games remaining to retain their Championship status.

At the start of the campaign, it looked as though the Owls would be heading straight back to League One without much of a fight.

Things however soon started to change once Xisco Munoz left and Danny Rohl was brought in as the new manager.

The German has brought a new sense of belief into the club and have now given themselves a great chance of staying in the second tier.

Rohl has improved results dramatically, and one way he has done that is by making changes in the January transfer window.

One altaeration he made was taking a risk by bringing Ike Ugbo to the club, but he's more-than impressing in South Yorkshire.

Ugbo spent the first half of this season on loan at Cardiff City, which was a move that didn’t go to plan fully.

The forward featured a lot for the Bluebirds, but he only managed four goals in 20 appearances, so it was decided by Cardiff that he would return to his parent club - French second tier side Troyes - in January.

He wasn't heading back to Troyes to play though, as a deal was struck with Sheffield Wednesday to send Ugbo to Hillsborough for the rest of the campaign - and it's a decision that is paying dividends.

Some fans may have been scratching their heads with Rohl believing that Ugbo was the answer to their striker problems, but it has turned out to be an excellent decision by Wednesday.

So far, Ugbo has played in 12 games for the Owls, during which time the Canada international has scored six goals.

His latest goal came in the win over Rotherham United, and it is clear that he is going to have an important say in what the club can achieve between now and the end of the campaign.

It is likely that Wednesday are going to be interested in a move for Ugbo at the end of the season, but it is unclear if Dejphon Chansiri would stump up the money to buy the player, and if the Owls were relegated to League One, then a permanent deal would look very unlikely.

Sheffield Wednesday should consider Luton Town’s Joe Taylor as Ugbo alternative

Therefore, Wednesday need to keep their options open and should potentially look at Luton Town’s Joe Taylor as an alternative.

At this stage, Sheffield Wednesday’s priority will be what is happening on the pitch and making sure they are a Championship club once again next season.

But, obviously, whatever the club is able to do in these remaining games could be a deciding factor in what they can do in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Ugbo is likely someone that Wednesday will want to have again next season, whether that be a loan deal or a permanent switch.

But there are a lot of factors in deciding if that happens or not, and as mentioned, it is unclear whether club owner Dejphon Chansiri will make cash available to make the deal permanent.

If the Owls are relegated to League One, it is likely that the player himself will want to remain in the Championship if he does continue in English football.

So, Wednesday may need to cast their net further wide when it comes to adding to their forward line this summer.

One player they could potentially look at, and it may work out as a cheaper deal for the club, is Taylor.

The 21-year-old is currently with Lincoln City after spending the first half of the 2023-24 campaign with Colchester United.

Taylor has 19 league goals between his two loans so far in 37 appearances, and since his switch from the U's to Lincoln in January he has led the line effectively as Michael Skubala's side chase the League One play-offs.

For Lincoln, Taylor has started all 12 league games he has been available for and has scored eight times, which is a goal every 117 minutes of football, as per Sofascore.com.

The 21-year-old has proven to be very dangerous in front of goal, averaging 2.7 shots per game and 1.3 of those being on target. Furthermore, Taylor has an impressive 25% goal conversion from his shots and averages a goal 0.7 times per game.

Taylor has really impressed in League One, so he will return to Luton with his stock really high and with another loan likely due to the presence of Elijah Adebayo and Carlton Morris, Sheffield Wednesday should consider looking into a deal.

The Owls could make some changes to their forward line in the summer, no matter what division they are in, as Lee Gregory, Michael Smith, and Josh Windass could be moved on by the club.

So, instead of looking at more experienced players, Sheffield Wednesday should look for players who are a bit younger and who can offer different things.

Taylor would be a very good addition were the club to be relegated to League One, but he could also be good if they remain in the second tier.

That is because Taylor has clearly shown he has enormous quality and threat in front of goal, and he could be considered a cheaper deal than signing Ugbo, as they could agree a loan deal with the Hatters that sees Taylor join for the 2024-25 campaign.