They had to bid multiple times for Michail Antonio, but he proved to be a shrewd addition at Hillsborough.
Antonio faced tough competition at Reading but thrived at Sheffield Wednesday, proving his worth with goals and assists.
Sheffield Wednesday’s persistence in securing Antonio’s deal paid off as he played a crucial role in the team’s success.
Despite modest initial fees, Antonio’s impact on the pitch far outweighed his transfer values, highlighting his value as a player.
When Michail Antonio was at Reading, he clearly had potential but was still very raw.
He had a decent amount of pace and could compete at a Championship level, but unfortunately for him, he was stuck behind Jimmy Kebe in the pecking order for a chunk of his spell in Berkshire.
Even on the left-hand side, there was little chance of him winning much game time, with then-club captain Jobi McAnuff and Hal Robson-Kanu available as options.
Large sections of the Royals’ fanbase were disgruntled with Robson-Kanu, but Brian McDermott retained faith in him and that limited Antonio’s game time, as well as Kebe’s superb performances.
And the club’s promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2011/12 season was never going to do the winger any favours, in terms of his minutes on the pitch.
It’s a shame for him, because the Royals were well-run at the time and a great team to play for, but Garath McCleary came in before the start of the 2012/13 campaign and made a brilliant debut against Stoke City. McCleary’s arrival didn’t help his cause either.
Michail Antonio’s permanent move to Sheffield Wednesday
Antonio, meanwhile, having made a loan move to Sheffield Wednesday in February 2012, made his move permanent, but that wasn’t a straightforward task for the Owls.
The South Yorkshire bid multiple times to get a deal over the line – and had an offer worth around £350,000 turned down – according to Berkshire Live.
Considering he was a promising player, it was no surprise that the Royals took a tough negotiating stance, but they were able to get a deal over the line in the end.
To spend a reported £700,000 on a player, having just been promoted from League One, was a gamble.
But this is a gamble that paid dividends in the end.
Sheffield Wednesday’s persistence with Michail Antonio paid off
Having made a good impact in the third tier, Antonio adapted extremely well to the Championship for the Owls too, with his previous second-tier experience in Berkshire likely to have helped him.
During his time at Hillsborough, Antonio played his part in establishing the Owls as a second-tier team again and for just £700,000, his goals and assists record in South Yorkshire was outstanding.
Not only was he valuable in terms of goals and assists, but his speed was frightening and that’s no surprise, with the Royals previously benefitted from his pace.
Wednesday would eventually go on to challenge for the play-offs after his move to Nottingham Forest – and he definitely played his part in the Owls’ rise before they fell again.
To reportedly sell him for just £1.5m to Forest was a blow – because they probably could have generated a bigger fee for his signature.
His future sale to West Ham for £7m reinforces that, with the Reds making a tidy profit from the attacker, who has been transformed from a winger to a striker.
However, his success at the London Stadium, with the former non-league man securing himself a UEFA Europa Conference League medal at the end of last term, shows that the Owls were right to sign him permanently in the first place.
Financially, Wednesday didn’t make too much of a profit from his sale, but his contributions on the pitch were priceless.
