Sheffield Wednesday: Title tilts, Bulgaria caps and a Championship move – how the trialists Owls rejected are getting on

A whole new squad come in the door, most of them with Championship experience – or higher. But among the players to have been considered were a handful of talented young trialists.

Some were handed the opportunity to impress in Wednesday’s packed pre-season fixture schedule and some impressed.

Darren Moore passed up on each of them. But how have they done? All have picked up contracts at new clubs, but have they proved the Owls wrong not to pick them up?

Let’s take a look at four names who came in and moved on.

Tariq Uwakwe

A name very seriously considered by Wednesday and made available for the cost of a sell-on by Chelsea, Uwakwe spent time on trial at both Wednesday and Portsmouth in the summer.

Aged 22, Uwakwe is primarily a midfielder, though he played at wing-back in a loan stint at Accrington Stanley the season before.

His was a name that popped up again in January but it came to nothing. The former England youth international signed for the Owls’ League One colleagues Crewe Alexandra late on in the window and was thrown straight into the relegation-battling side at left-back.

But bad luck struck after five appearances when he suffered a knee injury. He hasn’t played since.

Tolaji Bola

A young Arsenal left-back who played in two Owls pre-season matches as Darren Moore took a close look at him, Bola wasn’t quite up to the required standard as they passed up on his signing despite a solid effort in a pre-season clash with Celtic.

He popped up at title-chasing South Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United a few weeks later and signed on a permanent deal.

After making three consecutive starts early on in the season, he’s been shunted down the pecking order a touch and has played only 10 minutes of League One football since September.

Sylvester Jasper

A Fulham youngster who looked particularly lively in a substitute appearance in Wednesday’s July pre-season clash with Barnsley, Joseph is a winger who the Owls made a decision on at the same time as Bola.

He spent time on loan at League Two side Colchester United, impressing with five goal contributions in 23 outings.

This prompted Scottish Premiership side Hibernian – then chasing a European place – to make a move and bring him in, where he’s played every game since. That challenge has fallen away a touch, though Jasper has played the majority of minutes.

Interestingly, he’s also made his four appearances for Bulgaria’s under-21 side this season.

Renedi Masampu

Another left-back, another one-time Chelsea youngster. Masampu was another to trial with both Wednesday and Pompey.

He’d been released by Chelsea in 2019 and dropped into non-league, impressing for Conference South side Dulwich Hamlet while searching for an EFL opportunity.

Championship side Birmingham City took him on back in November following a successful trial and though he is yet to make his senior debut, he has appeared on the bench on three occasions.