"Absolutely outstanding" - Sheffield Wednesday lauded for low key Oldham Athletic deal | OneFootball

FLW's Wednesday fan pundit believes Kieran Lee is one of the most underrated signings in the club's recent history

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...

Midfielder Kieran Lee has been hailed as one of Sheffield Wednesday's most surprisingly effective signings in recent times for his spell at the club between 2012 and 2020.

Lee joined the Owls as a relatively low-key addition on a free transfer from League One Oldham Athletic to make the step-up to the Championship in the summer of 2012, and while it took some time for him to establish himself at Hillsborough, he soon became one of their key men in some of the club's more successful campaigns in years gone by.

The Stalybridge-born full-back was a versatile acquisition who went on to become a regular in central midfield, and he won a reputation as being a tough-tackling, tenacious player in the middle of the park, as he made over 200 appearances for the Owls across eight years and certainly exceeded a lot of people's expectations given his humble background in the third-tier at Oldham.

Fan pundit recalls rise of Kieran Lee at Sheffield Wednesday

Lee helped Wednesday reach the play-offs in both 2015/16 and 2016/17, but they fell short on both occasions with a loss in the final to Hull City in the former, and a defeat to Huddersfield Town in the semi-finals in the latter.

His time in South Yorkshire was unfortunately dogged by injuries, but Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, identified Lee when we asked him for an Owls player who was signed with not much fanfare, but turned out to be a great addition to their ranks.

“In regards to a player signed with not much hype, I think a good example would be Kieran Lee," Patrick told FLW.

“He had previously had a solid enough time at Oldham Athletic, playing at right-back, but he hadn’t played at a higher level and wasn’t particularly well-known.

“It was more seen as a signing with a view to the future, and initially he came in as a right back as possible competition to our first-choice at that time, Lewis Buxton.

“My word, he turned into an absolutely outstanding player for Wednesday, and that happened once he moved to central midfield.

“Lee was a star player for us for a number of seasons. His ability to make a late, perfectly timed run into the box to finish off a move was absolutely superb.

“He had a real intelligence in his movement, and his passing of the ball. The two seasons where we challenged for promotion, he was key to those as well.

“Ultimately, we fell short, but getting to our highest positions in the post-Premier League era, Kieran Lee was a central figure.

“It is a crying shame that his time at Hillsborough was dogged by injuries. At times he was rushed back too soon.

“Had we been promoted to the Premier League, I have absolutely no doubt that he would have shone for us.

“He was a fan favourite as well, and from such a humble start as a back-up right-back from Oldham, to becoming one of our most highly-rated players, was some achievement.”

Kieran Lee has won high praise from a former teammate

The measure of how good a player was for a certain club can usually be determined by how long he stayed there, and so it is clear that Lee was a hit at Wednesday given the eight years he spent in S6, in spite of his injury record.

Another sure-fire way to figure out just how impressive they were on the pitch is how highly-regarded they are by former teammates, and so Barry Bannan's recent decision to put Lee in his all-time Wednesday XI is a clear sign of his ability and impact at the club.

Bannan, who joined the club in 2015 and spent five seasons in the same team as Lee, had some kind words for his old midfield partner when he spoke to Sheffield Wednesday's YouTube channel earlier this year.

He said: “The most laid-back, most down-to-earth person you could ever come across in your life."

“And probably the one that’s most surprised me in my time at Sheffield Wednesday.

“Obviously I knew who he was, had a career at Manchester United, but then when I signed for Wednesday; I knew who he was because I followed Man United… but I didn’t know what to expect from him on a football pitch.

“Amazing player. Probably one of the best ones I’ve played with. He was everywhere.

“He would be attacking one minute, clearing the ball from his own box the next minute, and just a really under-rated player, went about his game quietly.”

It is clear to see that Lee was a top player for the club, and he spent the whole of the prime of his career at Hillsborough before leaving at the end of his contract in 2020.

Wednesday fans will always look back on his signing as one that shocked many because of the impact he had, and he would be an ideal player to have in their midfield in the present day amid their Championship struggles.