Despite Leeds United flashpoint, Sheffield Wednesday never saw the best of £5m Middlesbrough man.
Sheffield Wednesday have had a mixed transfer record under Dejphon Chansiri’s ownership.
Chansiri, who took over Wednesday from Milan Mandaric in January 2015, set a goal of returning the club to the Premier League within his first two years of ownership. He made significant investments to achieve this goal.
During the early stages of his tenure at Hillsborough, Chansiri made a number of bold decisions, including appointing Carlos Carvalhal as head coach, and he came agonisingly close to achieving his goal of playing in the Premier League, with the Owls falling short in consecutive seasons in the play-offs, first losing to Hull City in the final at Wembley before being eliminated by Huddersfield Town in the semi-finals.
After failing to win promotion, Wednesday’s excessive spending during the Carvalhal era resulted in a six-point deduction and relegation to League One. Costly transfer mistakes raised doubts about Chansiri’s leadership.
While he is far from the Owls’ worst signing in recent years, winger Adam Reach was a player who divided opinion in South Yorkshire, with many believing he did not live up to his potential despite some stunning goals.
Adam Reach provided some memorable Sheffield Wednesday moments.
Losing to Hull in the aforementioned play-off final in 2016 clearly boosted Chansiri’s determination to lead the club to promotion, and he increased his spending the following season.
Wednesday signed midfielder Almen Abdi from Watford for £4 million, as well as Daniel Pudil, David Jones, and Steven Fletcher. They also signed Middlesbrough winger Reach for a club-record £5 million.
The Owls had a £2 million bid for Reach rejected earlier in the month, but their persistence paid off when they signed him on the final day of the transfer window, even if some thought the fee was a little high.
Reach, who came through the Boro academy, struggled to establish himself at the Riverside Stadium. He was then signed by Wednesday after an impressive loan spell at Preston North End, where he scored four goals and three assists in 36 appearances.
Reach quickly established himself as a regular in the Owls’ starting lineup, and while his crossing ability was one of his best qualities, he also earned a reputation for scoring long-range goals.
The winger’s first standout moment came in November 2017, when he scored a delightful 25-yard volley after only 16 seconds in a 2-1 win over Aston Villa, but that goal was nothing compared to what he would go on to achieve.
In September 2018, Wednesday hosted Leeds United at Hillsborough Stadium under the Friday night lights. Despite the Whites’ dominant start, Reach scored a stunning 30-yard volley that hit the post.
The goal is still talked about to this day as one of the best strikes ever seen in the Championship, but, incredibly, Reach followed it up with another sublime effort just five days later in a 2-2 home draw against West Bromwich Albion, and that was not the last of his impressive collection of thunderbolts for the club.
Sheffield Wednesday will have mixed emotions about Adam Reach deal
Reach, 32, stated that his second season at Wednesday was the best of his career, with four goals and 12 assists in 53 appearances in 2017-18.
In the following season, the winger scored nine goals and provided seven assists in 46 games. However, injuries and inconsistent form led to criticism from Hillsborough fans.
Reach scored only twice in the 2019-20 season, but improved to six goals in 2020-21. However, the Owls were relegated to League One.
One of the most frustrating aspects of Reach’s game was his lack of physicality, and he was frequently accused of being afraid or unwilling to make tackles, which was highlighted more frequently during Wednesday’s battle against the drop.
Reach was released following relegation in the summer of 2021, and while he was certainly not a transfer flop, especially when compared to some of the club’s other expensive signings like Abdi or Jordan Rhodes, the Owls may have expected a little more from him given his high price tag.
| Adam Reach’s stats for Sheffield Wednesday (as per Transfermarkt) | |
| Appearances | 230 |
| Goals | 24 |
| Assists | 34 |
After leaving Hillsborough, Reach was given a Championship lifeline by West Bromwich Albion, which surprised some because he had managed to secure a move to a promotion-chasing second-tier club after his role in Wednesday’s demise, and he was a member of the Baggies side that lost to Southampton in the play-offs last season.
Reach was out of the game for over six months after leaving The Hawthorns last summer before joining League One club Wycombe Wanderers in February, but he suffered more play-off semi-final heartbreak this season when the Chairboys were defeated by Charlton Athletic.
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