Report: Sheffield Wednesday in negotiations with Tottenham for permanent transfer of Josh Onomah

More transfer news of the outgoing kind! Multiple sources, including Twitter account Lilywhite Rose and Football Insider, are now reporting that Championship side Sheffield Wednesday is opening negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur for the permanent transfer of 22-year old attacking midfielder Josh Onomah.

We at Cartilage Free Captain have always been high on Joshy. We ranked him #2 on our list of Tottenham Hotspur Prospect Rankings back in 2017 after a solid stint with England at the U20 World Cup, and tipped him to break through into Spurs’ first team as a central midfielder. But that didn’t happen. For whatever reason Mauricio Pochettino didn’t see the promise that we did, and Joshy was sent out on loan the past two seasons — first with Aston Villa under Steve Bruce, and then with Sheffield Wednesday... again with Steve Bruce.

And apparently that Steve Bruce connection is important. While we have yelled at “Beve Struce” from afar for not playing Onomah in his “natural” central midfield position, Joshy has done enough to impress him into keeping him around. And really, it’s probably a good move. Had he not gone on loan it’s quite possible he could’ve gotten a shot in Spurs’ central midfield this past season, but with Spurs looking at central midfield reinforcements like Tanguy Ndombele this summer it’s unlikely he will be able to break through. He definitely has the talent to be a good footballer in the Championship, and Football Insider says that Bruce wants to use him as part of a team that can compete for promotion next season.

I don’t know what kind of fee Onomah might command — I’d guess somewhere in the high single digit millions — but it probably doesn’t matter. Joshy’s time to crack Spurs’ lineup has come and gone, and it’s probably best for all involved if he’s sold to a club where he can play and excel. And who knows, maybe we’ll see him back in the Premier League one day.