"Strange one" - Claim made on Olaf Kobacki situation at Sheffield Wednesday | OneFootball

The Pole has barely featured since making the move to Hillsborough last year

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Much was expected of Olaf Kobacki when he signed for Sheffield Wednesday on a four-year deal last summer, but as yet the Hillsborough faithful are yet to see all too much of the Polish winger.

The 23-year-old joined from Arka Gdynia, a side in the second division in his homeland, but is yet to have an elongated run in the team since that move in the off-season, with just four league starts throughout the campaign.

An injury setback in October hasn’t helped his cause, but Wednesday fans have only witnessed his talents in 311 minutes so far this season, having only featured as a substitute in the FA Cup defeat to Coventry City since the turn of the year.

With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s resident Wednesday fan Patrick McKenna about what his club should do with the forward this summer, given his lack of game time in blue and white.

Olaf Kobacki future discussed after lack of Sheffield Wednesday action

Having signed a contract until the summer of 2028, there will be plenty of hope that Kobacki can eventually make it good in the Steel City, but Owls fans haven’t been able to see him in action all that much since he signed on the dotted line seven months ago.

Having started life on the bench at Hillsborough, the Pole earned three starts against QPR, Luton and West Brom last September, but barely lasted an hour in all three outings, and is yet to complete a full 90 minutes of Championship action for Danny Rohl’s side.

A muscle injury sustained in October did nothing to help his cause, as he was ruled out of action until the festive period, but a return to league action is still yet to come, as he patiently waits for his chance on the sidelines.

Despite his sporadic appearances throughout his first year as an Owl, McKenna is keen to give the Pole a chance for another year at least, with Wednesday looking to discover the sort of form that attracted them to the player in the first place last year.

When asked about the winger, the Wednesday fan said: “In regards to the case of Olaf Kobacki, it is a bit of a strange one.

“I know he has been injured for a bit as well, which has limited his experiences, but he does seem to be on the fringes this season and he hasn’t got any sort of extended run in the team.

“Coming from the Polish second tier, it is a bit of a jump up to the Championship, so maybe from what Danny Rohl and his team have seen in training and in matches they are not confident that he is ready for an extended run in the team yet.

“If we look at Charlie McNeill after his two goals beat Hull, he seems to have really gone down the pecking order. So would I want to get rid of Kobacki yet? The answer would be no.”

Sheffield Wednesday, Ibrahim Cissoko transfer highlights Olaf Kobacki issue

Wednesday were quiet in the winter transfer window, but one of the two players they did bring into the squad would only have hampered Kobacki’s chances of game time even further, with Ibrahim Cissoko a player who loves to hug the touchline.

The Dutchman is waiting for his first start in blue and white, but has been introduced as a substitute in each of the last three outings, while Kobacki hasn’t been seen in the match day squad since the start of the month.

McKenna still has faith that the Pole will come good though, and is keen to be patient with a player who could well play his part at Hillsborough in the future.

He continued: “I know with getting Ibrahim Cissoko that has knocked him down the pecking order, so he may still have limited appearances this season. But with Musaba’s dip in form the chance is always there.

“So I wouldn’t necessarily look to move him on in the summer, however, how he will fit in to Danny Rohl’s plans going forward, I am not sure.

“From watching him on the pitch, I haven’t thought he has looked out of his depth, it is more of a case that he hasn’t got a lot of chances, so he is not one to give up on as of yet.”