Sheffield Wednesday’s Fernando Forestieri was once linked with a big-money move to Fulham.
According to a report in The Sun on Sunday (April 7; page 61), Sheffield Wednesday are looking to balance the books and the two players who could be sold this summer are Lucas Joao and Fernando Forestieri.
It is said the Owls are looking at around £8 million each for the pair, but such a figure seems inflated with the duo struggling to break in to the first-team while Forestieri’s best days could be behind him.
Wednesday, now under the guidance of manager Steve Bruce, all-but saw their slim playoff hopes disappear on Saturday as they succumbed to a 3-1 home defeat to fellow top-six rivals Aston Villa.
Years of heavy spending now leaves the club looking to make cut-backs, and with hindsight they must look back on one or two decisions along the way with great regret.
Signing Forestieri from Watford back in 2015 for a reported £3.5 million was a great deal. However, not cashing in on the now 29-year-old when the opportunity came by looks like a big mistake.
According to a report in The Sun in August 2017, Fulham launched a £12 million bid for the Argentine forward but the Cottagers were knocked back with the Owls reportedly holding out for more.
Fulham’s reported interest came after Forestieri had scored 27 goals and grabbed 11 assists for Wednesday over two season, twice helping the club to the playoffs as they fell just short of promotion.
You can understand why Wednesday valued their most influential player at the time so highly, but what was to follow makes that decision now look like a poor and ill-advised one.
Forestieri has since gone on to make just 18 Championship starts over the past two years, suffering from a string of niggling injuries and an evident loss of form.
Wednesday will do well to fetch anywhere near the reported £8 million they seek for the player this summer with Forestieri entering the final 12 months of his contract and likely one of the club’s highest earners.
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