Sunderland’s Chris Maguire spent three seasons at Sheffield Wednesday.
Sunderland striker Chris Maguire says his stint at Sheffield Wednesday proved to be a set-back for his English playing career – and he feels the Owls didn’t value him during his three years at the club, the Telegraph reports.
“When I first came to England, it didn’t work out at Derby, so I signed for Sheffield Wednesday and it was from there that things went wrong,” Maguire said.
“I love it in Sheffield, I had a great relationship with the fans, but I thought I was worth more. I had been top goalscorer for two years in a row, I wanted to be looked after. I lost my way, ended up falling down the leagues.”
Maguire joined the Owls from Derby County in the summer of 2012 on a three-year deal, but it wasn’t until his second season at Hillsborough where he finally managed to make inroads in English football.
The Scotland international had barely played at Derby following his move from Aberdeen – making just seven appearances – while in his first season with Wednesday he featured just ten times, before becoming a regular in the side.
Maguire went on to top the club’s scoring charts for the following two campaigns, scoring 17 goals in 69 league games, but that wasn’t enough to earn him a new deal, and he later joined rivals Rotherham United.
The Owls, meanwhile, began a new phase under owner Dejphon Chansiri with the appointment of Carlos Carvalhal, and strikers such as Lucas Joao, Marco Matias and Fernando Forestieri all soon followed.
Maguire’s career has since taken him to League One and League Two with Oxford United and Bury, but now he finds himself back on the up with Sunderland, who are challenging for promotion back to the Championship.
Maguire has been a key fixture in the Black Cats’ side this season, and ironically on current form it wouldn’t come as a great surprise to see him and Wednesday swapping leagues come the end of the season – with Sunderland third in League One, and the Owls 18th in the Championship having won just one of their last ten games.
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