It can't happen again.. Sheffield Wednesday must tie down future of Osaze Urhoghide

That’s the clear message to Sheffield Wednesday from supporters on securing the future of 20-year-old Osaze Urhoghide, a raw but talented defender who is in the second of two promising bursts of performance in the Owls first team.

Along with defensive partner Tom Lees, Urhoghide produced one of two standout performances in a 1-0 defeat at Stoke City in which they never quite got going, making a number of recovery tackles and for the most part winning out in his battle with Jacob Brown.

Out of contract at the end of the season, the future of the Holland-born youngster has a long way to go to being the finished article. But news that Liam Shaw has chosen to sign for Celtic on pre-contract terms has injected nervousness into a fanbase keen to see the defender continue his development at Hillsborough.

Signed on a free transfer ahead of last season after he was released by AFC Wimbledon, Urhoghide burst on the the scene with impressive back-to-back performances against Brighton and Leeds but fell away after a mixed display in a 5-0 thrashing at home to Blackburn and a red card in a 3-0 thrashing to Reading.

Added to that, he had to deal with a long-term knee injury that kept him sidelined for several months.

Having played in their last six matches in his preferred position of centre-back, he appears to have re-emerged better for the experience and seems more settled.

To be clear, The Star has no reason to believe that Urhoghide is the subject of firm interest in the same manner as Celtic’s in Shaw.

But international compensation fees are calculated on the number of years a player has spent at their current club – Urhoghide has two to Shaw’s seven – meaning a similar move would see Wednesday compensated with even less than the £300,000 suggested fee likely to be paid for Shaw.

With the market as it is, at the likely cost, you’d be surprised if someone with attributes of Urhoghide wasn’t on the radar of clubs looking to bolster their ranks.

He is one of several first team players yet to be tied down by a new contract. The message from Wednesday fans is crystal clear; get it done.

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