One of Sheffield Wednesday’s Championship rivals also had an agreement to sign Connor Wickham on loan from Crystal Palace, according to Berkshire Live.
The newspaper claims that Reading tracked Wickham for a number of weeks and on the eve of deadline day, received an affirmative response from Crystal Palace.
But the 26-year-old, by that stage, was already said to be in Sheffield finalising a temporary move to Wednesday.
Wickham had previously spent time in Reading’s youth system and it was hoped that the promise of regular football, combined with the Royals’ relatively close proximity to Crystal Palace, could lure him back west, according to Berkshire Live.
But the £9 million Crystal Palace signing from Sunderland instead returned for a third loan spell at Hillsborough, where a top-six finish remains a realistic proposition and where he also has family ties.
The Wednesday loanee Wickham celebrates with Atdhe Nuhiu. (Photo by Robin Parker/Getty Images)
Wickham’s deal was finally announced around an hour before the January window closed and missed the cut-off point to be registered in time for the following afternoon’s game against Millwall.
But the Herefordshire native could make his latest Sheffield Wednesday bow when Garry Monk’s side travel to Barnsley on Saturday.
He joined the Parma forward Alessio da Cruz and the Wigan Athletic midfielder Josh Windass in moving to Hillsborough last month.
