‘We nearly lost him…’ – Darren Moore reveals Sheffield Wednesday’s ‘battle’ to land Olamide Shodipo

Shodipo, 24, joined Wednesday on Sunday after agreeing a season-long loan with the Owls, and was straight into the starting XI on Tuesday evening as they went up against Alfreton Town – picking up a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Andre Green.

The QPR winger made a solid start to life in blue and white, and was close to opening in the scoring in the first half.

Darren Moore who is thought to have played a pivotal role in getting the deal done, says that he very nearly ended up in the Championship rather than League One.

He told The Star, “I can say to everybody that we fought off three – potentially four – Championship clubs to get him, and we’re really pleased that we have… He had a desire to come here, but I had to fight for him because of the way it was. We nearly lost him, but I’m just pleased to say that it’s worked out for us and that we’ve got him here.

“I just see him getting stronger and stronger, and he’ll be another wonderful acquisition for us. He’s different to what we’ve got in midfield, and he’s somebody that that I think we needed in midfield. He’s somebody that has come in that will add a lot of competition for us and we’re really pleased to have him on board.

Meanwhile, when Moore was asked how long he’s been on his radar, the Owls boss went on to tell the media, “We had a chat in the summer, and the battle commenced from there really because there was a lot of interest in him. But we kept on, kept on, kept on, and I told him the roles and responsibilities he’s got here at the club, and I’m glad it whetted his appetite.”

Shodipo is expected to get another runout on Saturday afternoon away at Barnsley, with fellow new signing, Dennis Adeniran, also likely to feature once more following his move to Hillsborough last weekend.

Darren Moore on Wednesday’s new signing and a hard-fought win over Alfreton Town