Sheffield Wednesday should be praised for how proactive they were when it came to signings in the January transfer window when talk of pulling off an unbelievable survival act in the Championship would have sounded like an outlandish pipedream to even the most rose-tinted Owls supporter.
Both Ian Poveda and James Beadle walking in through the door that month instantly made an impact in the Wednesday first-team ranks, with the Leeds United loanee causing Birmingham City all sorts of bother with an assist on his second start in his new temporary colours.
Beadle has left such a lasting impression that rumours swirling now indicate that Danny Rohl wants to tie down the young Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper to a permanent deal this summer, having picked up eight clean sheets from his 19 Wednesday games.
Ike Ugbo is another that Rohl will want to be kept on, having netted seven Wednesday goals to steer his loan side away from the perilous drop-zone, but the German boss will just be thankful that a fellow attacking star in Anthony Musaba is permanently fixed to Hillsborough after excelling in the pivotal crunch matches that saw the South Yorkshire side amazingly stave off relegation.
Anthony Musaba's start at Wednesday
Musaba was actually purchased before a ball was even kicked this campaign away from those listed who made a great impact in January, but it wouldn't be all smooth sailing for the ex-AS Monaco from the get-go when relocating to England.
The Dutch winger would struggle to make a starting spot his own under the dire early season management of Xisco Munoz, having to wait until mid-September for his first start, before eventually exploding into life in his new Championship surroundings with the transformative Rohl at the helm.
The 23-year-old's up-and-down start to EFL life would only see him net once in the league under the unpopular Spaniard, before getting into his goalscoring groove more under the charismatic former Bayern Munich man.
Musaba's transformation under Rohl
Showing signs of his obvious quality with two assists against Rotherham United in the early days of Rohl's much-talked-about tenure, Musaba would save his very best for December of the campaign to truly get going with three goals registered from seven games that month which included this last-gasp winner against Queens Park Rangers.
The goals didn't dry up after that, however, with Musaba becoming a hero immortalised into the Owls hall-of-fame for forever now with his efforts in recent weeks ensuring his side dramatically stayed up after looking like relegation goners when managed by the clueless Munoz.
Musaba was instrumental in big wins being picked up from tense contests to edge the Owls closer to their goal of Championship survival, scoring late on – against QPR again in April – to pick up a 2-0 win at Loftus Road, before helping himself to two assists later that month against relegation rivals Blackburn Rovers on the road to secure a fantastic 3-1 victory.
But, his strike against West Bromwich Albion during the penultimate game of the gruelling second-tier season saw journalists such as Joe Crann shower the electric Dutchman with some much-deserved praise who, in his words, was absolutely "fantastic" in a polished 3-0 win over Carlos Corberan's tricky side.
These huge results meant the final day away at Sunderland wasn't really that nervy or on a knife's edge from a Wednesday point of view, with Musaba and Co confidently strutting their stuff in a 2-0 win to register a third straight three points to stay put in the Championship.
If Rohl is to stay put for next season, with the rumour mill at Hillsborough making supporters anxious about his immediate future in the dug-out knowing what occurred with Darren Moore, the side for next season will no doubt be built around talents such as the breakout 23-year-old to kick on and achieve more after keeping their heads above water.
Musaba's transfer value has understandably gone up since walking into the building as a relative unknown prospect from France last summer, with the tantalising attacker now worth more than fellow Wednesday hero Barry Bannan according to Football Transfers.
Musaba's transfer value in 2024
Looking at Football Transfers' valuation of the entire valiant Wednesday troops, Musaba's boosted worth now sees a £1.2m price-tag attached next to his name, according to Football Transfers.
Bannan, who has been a dependable servant for the Owls over a remarkable 402 games now, has seen his value decline slightly after playing a lesser role in Wednesday's success story this time around with his worth now standing at £942k.
Still, the ageing 34-year-old would come up trumps at the Stadium of Light when needed by assisting Liam Palmer's opener for 1-0 and looks likely to be signing a new contract very soon to remain at Hillsborough right up until his retirement date.
Musaba doesn't have to think about the impending end of his career anytime soon, with the 23-year-old having the potential to bump up his transfer value even more if he stars in the Championship next campaign again.
May 2024
£1.2m
March 2024
£942k
November 2023
£428k
August 2023
£0
Wednesday supporters will just have to hope Rohl is convinced to stay on in South Yorkshire amidst all the interest in his services from other clubs trying to persuade him to move on, alongside the fact there could well be a summer of upheaval on the horizon with the likes of Ugbo returning to Troyes and a number of out-of-contract figures leaving.
Still, if this rollercoaster season is anything to go by, Wednesday should never be written off in moments of adversity and would be able to emerge out the other end ready to go again with Musaba the potential star man up-front.
Market Movers
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