A former Sheffield Wednesday star claimed he is in the ‘best’ form of his life after leaving Hillsborough.

A former Sheffield Wednesday player says he is in the ‘best’ shape of his life since leaving Hillsborough.

Sheffield Wednesday have struggled finding prolific goal scorers in recent years, with Michael Smith being the only player to score more than 15 goals in the previous eleven seasons.

The Owls have had their fair share of underperforming forwards, with Ashley Fletcher’s zero goals in 25 outings being among the worst.

Jordan Rhodes, who had previously spent four seasons at Hillsborough, was another underwhelming addition.

Prior to his loan move to Sheffield Wednesday, Rhodes had 37 goals in the Championship over two seasons. The attacker secured a permanent move to the Owls despite only scoring three goals, and he went on to score 17 more goals in all competitions until being sold in 2021.

After another dismal season in the Championship with Huddersfield Town, the 34-year-old joined with Blackpool this summer. He currently has 15 goals and three assists in 29 appearances for the Seasiders, and he believes he is in his ‘best’ form.

Rhodes told the Blackpool Gazette: “My form this season has been one of the greatest of my career.

“At this stage in my career, as a father of three children, it’s fantastic to have my family at home games, supporting Blackpool, wearing the uniforms, and smiling whenever I’m on the pitch. Having them at the games, enjoying watching as much as I do playing, brings me a lot of pleasure and satisfaction.

“I’ve enjoyed my time in Blackpool thus far. There’s a fantastic bunch of guys here, as well as an outstanding coaching team. It’s a family-run club, and the collective spirit has been there since the beginning. I can’t say enough positive things about how I’ve been treated by the club, and I’m sure the players would say the same thing about their experience.”

Were Sheffield Wednesday foolish to spend money on Jordan Rhodes?
Jordan Rhodes was great during his time at Blackburn Rovers, but he never established himself as a top Championship attacker in the years since.

Despite his terrible performance on loan, the attacker remains the Owls’ most expensive signing in history, having cost the club £10 million.

It’s encouraging to see Rhodes regaining form following a difficult period in his career, but it would be surprising if Blackpool returned to the second tier.

Sheffield Wednesday will undoubtedly avoid making such a mistake again. Even at his peak, paying £10 million for him seemed to be a risky move.