Sheffield Wednesday have joined the race to sign Elfsborg midfielder Michael Baidoo.
Sheffield Wednesday have added Michael Baidoo, 25, to their summer transfer wishlist, but they’re not alone in their pursuit of the Ghanaian midfielder.
Hull City, Luton Town, and Middlesbrough are also interested in Baidoo after his impressive start to the 2024 Allsvenskan season.
With Elfsborg, Baidoo has four goals and three assists in 12 league games so far this season, with 18 goals and 12 assists in 69 total appearances for the Swedish outfit.
Danny Rohl is in desperate need of central midfielders this summer and a goal-scoring one like Baidoo sounds like a huge coup for the Owls, who only scored 44 goals in 46 Championship games last time round.
Baidoo is currently under contract at Elfsborg until 2025 and will reportedly cost any buying team up to £3.4million this summer.
Michael Baidoo career so far
Born in Accra, Ghana, Baidoo moved to Europe in 2017 to join up with Danish outfit FC Midtjylland, where in two seasons he managed just one league appearances.
He then headed to Norway with Jerv whom he spent time with on loan during his Midtjylland spell, later spending time with Sandnes in Norway before arriving in Sweden with Elfsborg in 2022.
What they say about Michael Baidoo
Former Elfsborg boss Jimmy Thelin on Michael Baidoo in February 2024: “Michael has made significant strides in his development since joining us, and his contributions across various midfield roles have been invaluable.
“His growth as a leader, ability to energize his teammates, and willingness to take on responsibilities on the pitch have been particularly noteworthy.”
Michael Baidoo player profile
- Full name: Michael Baidoo
- Age: 25
- Height: 1.74m (5ft 7ins)
- Nationality: Ghanaian
- Date of birth: May 14th 1999
- Place of birth: Accra, Ghana
- Position: Midfielder
- Club: Elfsborg (Sweden)
Michael Baidoo highlights
Michael Baidoo stats in 2024
So far in this 2024 Allsvenskan season, Baidoo has scored two goals from outside the box, and two from inside the box, averaging a goal every 258 minutes.
He boasts a shot conversion rate of 29% (Sofascore), averaging 46.3 touches-per-game, 27.9 accurate passes-per-game, and 1.9 key passes-per-game; he averages 17.5 passes inside the opposition half with an 83% pass success rate.
Baidoo also averages 4.1 balls recovered-per-game, as well as 1.1 tackles and 0.7 interceptions.
Michael Baidoo to Sheffield Wednesday analysis
Baidoo’s highlights make for exciting viewing; he’s clearly a box-to-box midfielder with a very keen eye for goal and an eye for a pass.
It looks like he’s most effective in two positions; when he’s got the ball deep and Elfsborg are on the counter-attack, and then when he has the ball at his feet on the edge of the opposition penalty area.
But not only does he score goals, the stats also show that he’s someone who can win possession in the middle of the pitch, which with Will Vaulks’ future uncertain, makes Baidoo even more of an ideal fit for Sheffield Wednesday.
At 25 years old, he’d bring the average age of the squad down slightly, too. But if he comes in then Rohl will surely want him further up the pitch and scoring goals, with Sheffield Wednesday desperately lacking scorers in their ranks.
The big sticking point is the price tag. It’s reported that Dejphon Chansiri will spend this summer but only if the player and the fee is right.
Expect the Owls to work on free transfers more than anything, then loan deals later in the summer. When most of their squad gaps are filled, then the Owls might look to spend some money.
Baidoo may well have been snapped up by which point, so for Sheffield Wednesday, it could be a very fleeting interest in Baidoo.
This certainly seems like an ambitious move and right now, given the widespread interest, an unlikely one. But it’s an exciting link nonetheless.