George Boyd has completed his move to Sheffield Wednesday after undergoing a medical on Monday. The former Burnley winger’s contract with the Clarets ended this June and he chose not to extend his stay despite being offered a one-year extension by Sean Dyche’s side.
The 31-year-old joined from Hull City in 2014 for a fee in the region of £3m and has played his part pretty convincingly throughout these seasons. The lanky winger featured in 36 matches last season as Burnley secured a lowly 15th position in the Premier League table.
The Owls have been fighting vigorously in the last few seasons to gain a promotion. They came very close in the last season as Carlos Carvalhal’s men grabbed a position in the playoffs but faced defeat at the hands of Huddersfield Town in the semi-final who eventually went on to secure a promotion.
The Scotland international has been an influential figure at the Turf Moor having guided the team to the top tier after lifting the Championship title in the 2015/16 season. He remained a key part of Dyche’s strategy but due to a breakdown in contract talks, he has planned to wear the Owls jersey next season.
Boyd had made his desire known to all the clubs that he was looking for a deal in excess of a year and Wednesday have signed him on a 2-year contract. Steve Bruce has been looking for some quality players for his side after a very disappointing campaign and had made an approach for Boyd. Bruce, who has to work with a reduced budget was eyeing him but now that the player has made his move to Hillsborough Stadium, Bruce needs to find some alternatives.
Another Championship club Derby County had also enquired about the player’s availability.
The Owls have been eluded for over 17 years from the Premier League and Carvalhal needs to sharpen his squad heavily to make their way to the Premier League next season.
The right winger can be deployed on both the wings and is known for his tremendous work rate. Boyd remained a key figure for the Clarets last season despite Robbie Brady’s arrival as he started 33 games for them.
But compared to the Premier League, playing in the Championship is a different ball game and the winger needs to adjust accordingly to the needs of the second tier after his move which according to him was a ‘no-brainer’.
