By admin The former Chelsea youth, who was brought in on loan from French club Troyes early in the January transfer window, scored six goals in five games and provided an assist in the seventh as Wednesday swept through February and into March. Wednesday did not win a game in which he did not score a direct goal in a 14-game span following his signing.
Fast forward to the present, and Ugbo has not scored in his last eight games. However, his effect has maintained despite a shift in role for several of those games as Wednesday changed their strategy, with target man Michael Smith stationed centrally. Ugbo continues to be an essential cog in Danny Röhl’s Owls engine, even in the small moments that others miss.
“In the last matchdays he played more as a winger, where against Blackburn I brought him a little bit more central,” Röhl was quoted as saying by The Star. “I believe that was important, and that is why when Will (Vaulks) won the ball (for the second goal), he was in the red zone and was able to turn on the ball and carry.
“Ike sprints with good intensity. When you look back at Josh’s goal, Ike was the first pressing player to force them into the initial error, then Musaba forced the second. This is how we won the ball high up.”
Wednesday face West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, looking to climb the standings again after moving out of the relegation zone with a win over Blackburn Rovers last weekend. Ugbo is anticipated to play an important role again, and his manager is unconcerned about his lack of pace in front of goal.
Röhl went on to say, “Of course, you always look to a striker for goals, but I also see how we invest in strikers for your teammates.” When you start pressing, you need a striker who can accelerate and go all out. He did an excellent job, and I feel that if you work hard, you can score again. Hopefully, we can find this moment on Saturday.”