Wycombe Wanderers were the clear winners in Millwall swap deal in historic season - View | OneFootball

Wycombe Wanderers were the big winners when they raided Millwall in the 2019/20 season.

Back in the summer of 2019, Rob Couhig was bidding to acquire a majority stake in Wycombe Wanderers. With his aim of winning over the support of his fans, it would be fair to say his dealings with Millwall in the transfer market certainly helped his case.

Former Millwall winger Fred Onyedinma had become a fan favourite through two successful loan spells at Adams Park. However, the Nigerian had never belonged to the Chairboys.

This would all change, as the Lions wanted to bring Wanderers defender Jason McCarthy to The Den. Thanks to some smart business, the Chairboys were able to bring Onyedinma back, and it wouldn’t be the end of McCarthy’s time in HP12 either.

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Times weren’t the easiest for the Buckinghamshire club at the start of the summer. Escaping relegation to League Two by three points and only having nine contracted players turn up for the first pre-season training session, many pundits had the Chairboystipped for relegation in the forthcoming season.

The club turned to its fans for support, with the ‘500 Club’ scheme being formed. This raised money to increase the playing budget for the Blues, whilst offering donating fans unique benefits in return.

That money would allow manager Gareth Ainsworth to secure the signing of former Middlesbrough midfielder Alex Pattison. Despite this, the squad was still seriously lacking depth. The supporter’s trust had to find an external investor, and fast.

A collapsed takeover by American businessmen Jim Collis and Bill Luby in the prior months set the hunt back to square one, but that wouldn’t be for long. After a failed venture to buy Yeovil Town, American Lawyer Rob Couhig still had his eyes on owning an EFL club.

The League One outfit presented Rob with the perfect challenge, keeping the club sustainable whilst defying the odds. Talks moved swiftly, and a deal was agreed in principle in early July. This allowed Couhig to help contribute towards signing players before the season got underway.

It was an excellent transfer window, as quality players such as Jack Grimmer, Rolando Aarons, and David Wheeler. All of a sudden, the Wanderers had gone from a nailed-on relegation candidate to potential dark horses.

Onyedinma had already played for Wycombe in two different loan stints. The first was in the 2014-15 season, as a teenager. Onyedinma made his mark on English football during his maiden loan, scoring eight times and assisting twice in 27 appearances, as the Chairboys reached the League Two play-off final.

Sadly, despite making 150 appearances for the London club, Onyedinma didn’t kick on as expected at Millwall. He returned to South Bucks three years later, on a short-term loan until January. Following promotion to League One, the loanee was a vital part of the Wycombe squad that reached as high as ninth during the first half of the season.

Unfortunately, no deal was struck to retain the winger past January. He returned to The Den after scoring four times in 21 appearances. However, come the summer, the Lagos-born man found himself surplus to requirements.

Of course, Wycombe fans began to speculate on social media whether the club could prise the fan favourite back for a first permanent spell. Before Couhig’s investment, there was no chance. Ainsworth had very little at his disposal and had to be smart with the limited budget he had.

Whilst the fans remained optimistic, realistically, everyone had accepted that there was virtually no chance that the return of Fred would be possible. The club didn’t have the funds to buy any players for a fee, relying on free agents and loans.

However, the lawyer’s takeover got fans dreaming. Even the most grounded of fans joined the social media frenzy, speculating about the return of the former loanee. When London club Millwall reportedly came calling for defender McCarthy, people began to put two and two together as to what could unfold.

Wycombe were the resounding winners of the Onyedinma and McCarthy deal

Any football fan will tell you not to listen to rumours unless they're confirmed by reliable sources. The Lions’ interest in Wycombe’s star right-back had been confirmed by Football Insider, suggesting a bid had been placed.

Despite these reports, there was no mention of the Nigerian being involved in the deal. Wycombe would receive a cash sum for their prized asset with no player in return, much to the disappointment of many speculative supporters.

Even though the 22-year-old wasn’t directly involved in a swap deal, Ainsworth was determined to get his man and ended up paying some of the fee back to Millwall for the services of Onyedinma. On July 30th, the news that was dreaded had come as McCarthy departed Adams Park. The blow was swiftly softened, as it was revealed that Onyedinma had returned to his former loan club permanently.

From the outside looking in, it seemed like Millwall had got a much better deal here. Buying a player for their starting squad and offloading one that wasn’t part of their plans for a chunk of the fee they paid back looked like brilliant business.

Of course, due to the fees being undisclosed, nobody externally knows how much Wycombe received for McCarthy or how much was paid by the Chairboys back to the Lions for the winger.

This would turn out to be the complete opposite though, as Onyedinma flourished in his new home, scoring on debut in a 2-0 win over a very young Bolton Wanderers side. The right-back had swapped places with the recent Millwall departure, as he struggled to make an impact and lock down a place in the side.

By the time January rolled around, Wycombe were flying and flirting with a first-ever promotion to the Championship. McCarthy had featured just twice for Millwall in the league and was told he could leave the club on loan in the winter transfer window.

As soon as Ainsworth heard of this, he made his move to bring the defender back to Adams Park on loan until the end of the season. There was no hesitation either from the 2015/16 Wycombe Player of the Year. When he heard his former employers wanted him back, he jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the historic season that was unfolding.

The idea of the London-based club getting any sort of good deal from their summer business with Wycombe was now firmly out of the window, as the Chairboys had essentially received Onyedinma and cash in return for only losing McCarthy for a few months.

Similarly to the man who’d swapped places with him in the summer, the full-back marked his third debut with a goal in a 2-1 victory over Rochdale, ending a run of five games without a win.

The curtailment of the season early meant the Buckinghamshire club qualified for the League One play-offs, but these took place after McCarthy’s loan had expired. Whilst the Lions were willing to extend the loan, Wycombe simply couldn't afford it, therefore he was unable to feature for the Blues in the biggest games of their history.

An Onyedinma brace saw Wycombe wrap up a 6-3 aggregate win over Fleetwood Town to reach Wembley, with a place in the Championship at stake. The final was poised at 1-1 before the Nigerian chased a loose ball into the box, and was taken out by Oxford United goalkeeper Simon Eastwood. This would be the decisive moment, as Joe Jacobson scored the penalty that would send the Chairboys into the second tier for the first time in 133 years.

It was clear McCarthy’s heart was set on a return to Wycombe, and he would get just that, as the Chairboys brought him back for an undisclosed fee just a year after his sale.

Whilst the Englishman remains with the Buckinghamshire club to this day, Onyedinma would depart just a year later, joining Luton Town for an undisclosed fee. Again, whilst the value of this fee is unknown, it would be safe to assume it was a fair amount more than what Wanderers paid for him two years prior.

Since then, the Luton man has been promoted to the Premier League with the Hatters, making eight top-flight appearances. He was released at the end of the 2023/24 season, after relegation to the Championship.

Looking back, there can be no doubt that Wycombe were the winners of the swap deal with Millwall, which proved to be business vital to their historic campaign.