Sheffield Wednesday are weighing up a move for an ‘excellent’ player who was released in December 2023.
Sheffield Wednesday have begun their transfer business early as they add targets to their summer shortlist.
The transfer window isn’t set to open until next month, butDanny Rohl has begun making his plans as he looks to bolster his ranks.
While the Owls are looking to tie down some of their key players to new contracts, they are also looking elsewhere for new talent all over the pitch.
Wednesday have already been linked with attacking additions in Ike Ugbo and Mike Biereth, and now they are looking towards the middle of the park.
The Yorkshire outfit have offloaded Tyreeq Bakinson, Momo Diaby, George Byers and Jeff Hendrick this month, so desperately need to add midfielders to their squad.
While the club is prepared to pay for transfer fees this summer, they have already been looking in the free agent market.
According to The Star, Sheffield Wednesday are exploring a deal for Ovie Ejaria.
The midfielder was released by Reading before Christmas and has since trained with both the Owls and Plymouth Argyle.
Ejaria spent time at Middlewood Road towards the back end of the campaign with a view to the possibility of signing permanently this summer, though it is yet to be seen whether the move will happen.
Who is Ovie Ejaria?
Ovie Ejaria began his senior career with Liverpool, where he made his senior debut in 2016.
The midfielder only made a total of six competitive appearances for the Reds, before he was sent out on loan to Sunderland.
Ejaria was relegated to League One with the Black Cats and went onto join Rangers, where he made 28 appearances and netted in the Europa League.
Steven Gerrard was a big fan of the youngster, praising him after their Europa League win against FC Ufa in 2018.
He said: “I thought he was magnificent and I think that is his strongest 90 minutes that he has given us so far.
“I think we have seen a lot of flashes and a lot of halves, some good performances, but I think that’s his first real excellent performance that he’s announced against a good team. I thought he was excellent from start to finish.”
Ejaria then joined Reading on loan and eventually signed for them permanently in 2020.
The 26-year-old scored nine goals and provided 13 assists in 127 appearances for the Royals, before he was released in December.
Ejaria has proven very versatile in his career, playing all across the midfield, as well as playing on the wing and even as a centre forward. A majority of his games have seen him play in central midfield or left midfield though.
Would Ovie Ejaria be a good signing?
Ovie Ejaria was once believed to have plenty of potential during his time at Liverpool, but that quickly declined.
The former England U21 international has only made eight senior appearances since 2022, with his last start coming 21 months ago.
While Reading have been a club in turmoil in recent years, there is surely a reason why Ejaria couldn’t even make the cut in the bottom half of League One.
Wednesday can’t chase the potential that he held years ago, and while it is relatively risk free if he signs on a free transfer, it feels like a signing the club would have made before Danny Rohl arrived.