Joe Crann – So what about Atdhe Nuhiu and Sheffield Wednesday?

Nuhiu has been with Wednesday since back in 2013, he’s played about 270 games for the club and has played more games – and scored more goals – than any other player in the current squad.

He’ll be out of contract at the end of next month, or whenever the 2019/20 season finishes, but I’m of the persuasion that he deserves another deal and the chance to reach a half-century of goals in Owls colours (he’s currently on 47).

Aside from his goals, just Barry Bannan (32) and Adam Reach (30) have got more assists than the Kosovan (26) in the current ranks, and his record of a goal or assist every 187 minutes isn’t bad at all considering that he’s made almost exactly half of his appearances when coming off the bench.

He’s come in for a lot of stick over the years, some possibly justified but mostly just down to a lot of unfair scapegoating, and yet the 30-year-old keeps on trucking. Keeps doing his thing. And he’s caused some HUGE celebrations amongst fans along the way.

I think Steve Bruce probably said it best…

"He is a big lump but he has got good feet for the size of him,” he said while in charge at Wednesday. “He is some weapon to have when you are chasing the game in awful conditions. You go a little bit direct and put it into him and there is nothing wrong with that.

"Everybody wants to play lovely, open, attacking football but sometimes you just put it forward, get it into the box and ask the big man to get on the end of it."

Nuhiu has scored 12 game-winning goals for Wednesday – and they don’t include ones like the second goal in the away win at Leeds United or late strikes that have grasped a point – and the fact of the matter is that he scares teams. They hate seeing him come on.

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And that’s exactly how I see Big Atdhe. Is he going to start every week? Nope. But is he an interesting weapon to have in your arsenal against certain teams or in certain moments of games? Absolutely. Eight different Wednesday managers have used him, so surely that says something.

There is a need for change in terms of the playing personnel at Wednesday. Of that there is no doubt. I just don’t think there’s a need to throw the baby out with the bathwater and wipe the slate completely clean if somebody – like Nuhiu – still has something to offer.

If the terms are right, if Garry Monk feels like he can use him, and if the two-metre man is happy with the role he’s given, then I think that Nuhiu is a player who can – and will – continue to be effective in some way for the Owls in 2020/21.