Sheffield Wednesday need to look to League One in the final days of the transfer window.
Sheffield Wednesday face a huge few months in the Championship, as they look to close the gap that is preventing them from spending back-to-back seasons in the second tier.
The Owls have tightened up their defence under Danny Rohl, but it is glaringly obvious that they are still missing a goalscoring centre forward.
The German coach has added Ike Ugbo to his ranks, but fans are still eagerly awaiting the ‘big money’ striker that Dejphon Chansiri promised to bring in this month.
The Sheffield Wednesday owner is willing to pay around £30,000-per-week to bolster the team’s attack – but how about contributing some of that cash to a transfer fee instead?
The Owls have previously been linked with a number of strikers in the lower leagues, but one that could really improve their options is Bristol Rovers’ Aaron Collins.
The 26-year-old has spent the last two-and-a-half years with The Gas, helping them win promotion to League One in his first campaign before lighting up the third tier almost instantly.
Who is Aaron Collins?
Collins netted 16 goals and provided eleven assists that saw him named the League One Player of the Season and Bristol Rovers Player of the Year, as well as being included in the League One Team of the Season too.
The attacker was labelled a ‘class act’ by then-boss Joey Barton, and while his stats haven’t been quite as impressive this time around, it comes as no surprise that he has been linked with a move away from Memorial Stadium.
Rovers have already rejected an opening bid of around £600,000 from Bolton Wanderers for Collins, while Bristol Live journalist Dan Hargraves has claimed that the club value him at just shy of £1 million.
Collins, who has nine assists this term, has proven a real hit in the third tier and has looked capable at making the jump up to the Championship too.
The Welshman finished last season with the fourth-most shots in League One (126), fifth-most successful dribbles (54) and the third-most assists (11).
There is real limited options for clubs on the hunt for a new striker this month and prices are always so inflated, so coughing up a six-figure sum on a player earning only £4.5k-per-week doesn’t seem too bad of a deal.
Collins could make a real positive difference to Sheffield Wednesday’s attempts to stay in the second tier, while he would also do a brilliant job at getting them straight back up if they were unfortunately relegated.
Danny Rohl’s side really don’t want to risk overpaying for a player in the final days of the window, but snapping up Collins could prove to be a real quality signing if they can get it across the line.