Sheffield Wednesday have spent over 20 years away from the Premier League. This hasn’t stopped them from spending big on players to try to return to the top tier. We’ve looked back at the Sheffield Wednesday record signings.
The Owls have had a bumpy few seasons with off-the-field issues casting a shadow over the side. This has seen the club limit its spending and focus on clever loans and free transfers.
In the past, this hasn’t always been the case, with the side not afraid to splash the cash on players. But who is the most expensive player bought by the Owls?
Who are the Sheffield Wednesday record signings?
5. Andy Hinchcliffe – £2.75million
Left-back Andy Hinchcliffe starts the list of the Sheffield Wednesday record signings. Wednesday signed the former Man City full-back for £2.75million from Everton, where he’d won the FA Cup in the 1994/95 season.
Hinchcliffe joined the Owls towards the end of his career but still played for the side for four years, picking up 95 appearances. He retired while at the club after surgery on his knee near the end of the 2001/02 season.
Hinchcliffe is now a regular co-commentator on Sky Sports, working on both Premier League and Championship games.
4. Gilles De Bilde – £3million
The Owls paid £3million for Gilles De Bilde from Dutch side PSV ahead of the 1999/00 season. The Belgian joined the Owls on the back of winning the Eredivisie with PSV two years before but couldn’t help Wednesday avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Predominately playing as a striker, De Bilde only scored 14 goals in 66 games for the Owls. They ultimately lost out with De Bilde as he returned to Anderlecht on a free transfer.
3. Fernando Forestieri – £3million
Also arriving at Hillsborough for £3million was Fernando Forestieri. The tricky attacker arrived from Watford and slotted straight into the squad, becoming a favourite of most fans.
He repaid the money spent on him immediately by scoring 15 goals as Wednesday reached the Championship play-off final in the 2015/16 season. He continued this form in his second season, scoring 12 goals as the side once again finished in the play-offs. Forestieri received a Sofascore average rating of 7.25 for his performances in the 2016/17 season.
In total, Forestieri scored 40 goals for the Owls in 134 games. He left the Owls for Udinese in 2020 and now plays in Malaysia for Johor DT, where he’s enjoyed lots of success.
2. Adam Reach – £5million
Adam Reach joined from Middlesbrough for £5million in the 2016/17 season and is player who splits opinions across Wednesday fans. Playing mainly across the left side, Reach played 230 games for Wednesday, scoring 24 – with a few of them being spectacular finishes.
Reach’s best season for the Owls came in the 2018/19 season. Sofascore gave him an average rating of 7, as he chipped in with eight goals and seven assists in the league campaign.
Reach left the club for West Brom in 2021, leaving on a free transfer. After three years at the Hawthorns, he’s now a free agent.
1. Jordan Rhodes – £8million
Topping the list of the Sheffield Wednesday record signings is arguably one of the finest strikers to play in the EFL. Jordan Rhodes joined the Owls with an impeccable goal scoring record in League One and the Championship. Unfortunately, he couldn’t bring that to Hillsborough.
The Owls paid £8million to bring Rhodes to the club, but he scored just 20 goals in 112 games. Similar to the rest of the record signings for the Owls, Rhodes left the club for free after four years.
Rhodes returned to Huddersfield Town where he had success previously but struggled to recapture his form. He’s now playing in League One for Blackpool after a promising loan spell.
With spending at the Owls limited it seems unlikely that we’ll see the £8million paid for Rhodes topped anytime soon. The top five Sheffield Wednesday record signings is likely to be locked in for some time.