Sheffield Wednesday: £3m signing from Norwich City

May 11, 2024 admin Sheffield Wednesday 0

In recent years, Sheffield Wednesday has alternated between League One and the Championship.

Nevertheless, not very long ago, the South Yorkshire squad was also vying to be a Premier League franchise.

Sheffield Wednesday had a fantastic chance to return to the top flight of English football in the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons, but the Owls had spent numerous seasons hovering around the bottom of the Championship.

The Owls advanced to the play-off final of the 2015–16 season after finishing in sixth position, only to lose to Hull City there.

Carlos Carvalhal reorganised his team for the next season, and they had yet another fantastic performance, this time coming in fourth. However, they were unable to advance to this year’s Playoff Final.

Thus, things might have turned out rather differently for the Owls, particularly if forward Gary Hooper—who cost £3 million to join from Norwich City—had remained healthy during both seasons. However, it can be remembered as a “what if” in terms of promotion to the Premier League.

Sheffield Wednesday signed Gary Hooper for £3 million

Hooper made his senior football debut with Southend United, but it was while on loan at Hereford, where he scored 11 goals in 19 League Two appearances, that he began to draw notice.

After that, he was transferred to Scunthorpe United, where he carried on his prolific scoring ways. This spectacular move brought him to Scottish powerhouse Celtic.

Hooper was still hammering home goals for fun, scoring 82 goals in 137 games for the Hoops. Norwich City decided to pursue Hooper ahead of the 2013–14 season and was able to get a deal done, but he was not able to duplicate his scoring prowess in the Premier League as much as he had done elsewhere.

The striker spent just two-and-a-half seasons with the Canaries before he left the club and joined Sheffield Wednesday in a deal that reportedly cost the club £3 million.

Hooper was looking to rediscover his touch in front of goal, and he certainly did that with Wednesday. It is just a shame that injuries also played a part.

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