Exclusive:Where Ike Ugbo situation sits with talks likely over Sheffield Wednesday future
Ike Ugbo’s permanent move to Sheffield Wednesday hasn’t played out how anyone would have wanted it to.
Ike Ugbo’s difficult time at Sheffield Wednesday has no obvious route to an exit as things are situated, The Star understands, though all parties appear to be accepting that a fresh start is best for all involved.
The Canada international has failed to recapture anything like the rich goalscoring form he showed while on loan with the Owls in the second half of a 2023/24 campaign in which his goalscoring prowess went a long way to securing their Championship status against all odds.
That form prompted then-Owls boss Danny Röhl to make Ugbo a top priority transfer target the following summer and after a protracted saga that saw Sunderland come in as strong rivals for his signature, the now 27-year-old completed a permanent switch to Wednesday in August 2024. That deal cost the Owls somewhere in the region of £2.5m, of which a chunk was paid during the club’s period of administration. As per the latest publicly available indications, around £2m is still owed to the French club.
Ugbo’s struggles have been no secret and he has failed to score a league goal in his two seasons since, with two goals arriving in the EFL Cup. His involvement last season was limited after big opportunity at the start of the campaign and he played a total of just over half an hour of football since Christmas, sitting out of Wednesday’s last seven matches.
Ugbo remains under contract and after activity on social media platform Instragram prompted supporter conversation in the last days, what happens from here is not yet clear, though all parties are said to be receptive to an exit with further talks likely in the coming weeks.
One issue in finding a new club may be his wages. Ugbo is understood to be among the higher earners at Wednesday on a deal set to run until the summer of 2028, though that salary is understood to have been cut to between 40 and 50 per cent of its value by virtue of relegation to League One.
As previously reported by The Star, the former Chelsea starlet was the subject of interest from League One Bolton Wanderers late on in the January transfer window with an outline loan deal agreed before the Trotters went with a loan deal for Celtic forward Johnny Kenny. Kenny scored six goals as they secured their place in next season’s Championship via the play-offs.
The Star understands that sometime after that deal failed to come to fruition, Ugbo chose to cut ties with his long-time agent. At the time of writing it is not known whether he has enlisted fresh representation, though some suggestions are that he is effectively self-representing alongside family.