Sheffield Wednesday's PSG transfer gamble could return profit: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Djeidi Gassama has won the hearts of Sheffield Wednesday fans in a successful first season in English football.

Gassama joined the Owls last summer after leaving boyhood club Paris Saint Germain on a free transfer, believed to be worth up to €1,000,000 in the future.

He joined PSG in 2019 as a 15-year-old and was prolific at youth level for the Parisian giants, netting 27 goals in 34 games in the 2021/22 season for the U19's.

His good form saw him rewarded with a professional debut in a 4-0 win over Montpellier in May 2022, featuring alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

The Mauritanian-born winger made his debut for France U20 in September 2022, featuring in two draws against Tunisia.

The 2022/23 season saw him join KAS Eupen of the Belgian Pro League on loan, but he was often used as an impact player from the bench, netting two goals and notching two assists in 20 games in his first full professional season.

Gassama then permanently left PSG to join the Owls in a three-year deal in August 2023 to bolster their attacking ranks under former-boss Xisco Munoz.

A welcome addition for Sheffield Wednesday

Now aged 20, Gassama is in his formative years as a player - and Wednesday have been reaping the rewards for taking a gamble on a young, unproven quantity in English football.

It was a slow start to life at Hillsborough under Xisco Munoz, as he featured from the bench just three times in the opening eight league games before Munoz was sacked with the Owls winless and bottom of the Championship at the start of October.

Danny Rohl's arrival in South Yorkshire saw form improve almost instantly, and Gassama has benefitted from playing in a side with confidence and belief that they can survive.

He notched his first assists in key wins over Stoke City and QPR in December, then netted his first goal in blue and white in a 3-1 win over Hull City on New Years Day.

His first Owls strike was a thing of beauty, as he cut inside from the left and curled it past a hapless Matt Ingram at the Kop End.

He has started ten league games since the turn of the year, scoring two more goals in vital league wins against Plymouth Argyle and QPR as Wednesday fight to stay up despite seeming bound for relegation before Rohl's arrival.

Plenty of possible profit from Gassama

As is the nature of football in 2024, clubs in the EFL must look to sell players on for profit, especially when they are not challenging at the top of their respective league.

Wednesday signed Gassama on a free transfer, with possible bonuses adding up to 1,000,000 and a 20% sell-on clause to PSG.

While many transfer decisions will hinge on the Owls staying in the Championship for another season, there is no doubt that clubs across the UK will have been alerted to Gassama's clear talent and potential to improve.

The French youth international is contracted at Hillsborough until 2026, so Wednesday have two possible summers to be able to sell him for profit, and his price tag will only increase if his form keeps improving and he steps up as a key player next season.