4500 minutes, 14 goals – A breakdown of Sheffield Wednesday’s loan signings this season

Wednesday confirmed this week that Jacob Murphy, Alessio Da Cruz, Connor Wickham and Josh Windass had all now returned to their parent clubs after the completion of the campaign, wishing them well for whatever comes next.

They said via the club’s official website, “We want to thank all four players for their services this campaign and wish them well for the future.”

Between the four of them, as well as David Bates, the forgotten loanee of this season, they racked up 14 goals across all competitions as well as six assists, but Murphy can be thanked for a large chunk of those.

The Newcastle United man, who Garry Monk has admitted he would love to welcome back, got nine goals and four assists in his 44 games this season, picked up more minutes (2293) than the other four combined, and was by far the most productive.

Windass got three goals in his nine games, Wickham got two in his 13, and Da Cruz grabbed a couple of assists in his 15 outings but left the club without finding the back of the net – although he was not short of chances.

Of the four, Wickham had the highest shots per game average (2.2), Da Cruz ended the season with the highest pass completion rate at the club (84.3%), and Murphy was top three for the Owls this season in terms of key passes (44), successful dribbles (68) and accurate crosses (38). Windass was in the top three for shots per game (1.7) and pass success (81.7%).

As for Bates, his time at Hillsborough will likely remain a mystery as he left with just one appearance – against Rotherham United in the Carabao Cup – to his name, and was the only one of the five not to extend his deal beyond the end of June.

Will we see any of them back? Only time will tell.

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