Sheffield Wednesday: Dave Jones unearthed a Hillsborough cult-hero in 2013: View | OneFootball

The target man made quite the impact during his seven-year association with the Owls

Plucking players from all over Europe may be common practice for Championship teams in the present day, but back in 2013 it was a less common sight.

When Atdhe Nuhiu made the move to Sheffield Wednesday eleven years ago, there would have been few that would have heard the name before, but when he left Hillsborough seven years later, he had earned himself quite the reputation with the Owls.

With over 250 appearances for the club, the Kosovo international earned himself something of a cult following given his knack for popping up on the scoresheet when his side needed it the most, as well as giving opposing defenders a battle for however long he was on the field.

Over time, he became more of an impact substitute that the Owls would throw on when they were chasing a game, but with his imposing stature and physical approach, his influence was more than just in the goalscoring department, with his presence up top more than enough to change the dynamic of a game.

Dave Jones secures Atdhe Nuhiu deal for Sheffield Wednesday

Nuhiu had started off his playing career with Rapid Vienna in Austria, and caught the eye when he netted against Aston Villa in the Europa League at Villa Park as a 21-year-old.

The colossal forward would go on to join Eskisehirspor in Turkey two years later, before being snapped up by Wednesday after becoming a free agent in the summer of 2013.

With his stocky frame and dominant strength, then Owls boss Dave Jones was delighted with his side’s pickup from Eastern Europe, as the Steel City outfit looked to build on their steady return to the second tier.

Jones said at the time, via the BBC: “"We've been watching him for some months now and the kid is a real talent with loads of ability.

"He gives us another dimension and something totally different to what we've got.

"He's got good movement, he's good with both feet and he links play very well. He's good in the air, as you'd expect, and we're absolutely delighted to have got him."

Atdhe Nuhiu makes Sheffield Wednesday impact as Owls miss out on Premier League

Having been promoted from League One 12 months before, Wednesday were looking to re-establish themselves in the second tier, with Nuhiu joining the likes of Jacques Maghoma, Jeremy Halan and Kamil Zayatte in making the move to Hillsborough that summer.

It took the new arrival little time to make an impact, with a goal on his debut against Queens Park Rangers, albeit in a 2-1 defeat at Loftus Road, as his low shot squeezed past Rob Green in the hosts’ net.

With his rumbustious nature up top, the frontman was already causing havoc in his new surroundings, with Championship defenders knowing they had their hands full whenever they saw his name on the opposing team sheet.

After playing his part in a historic 6-0 drubbing of Leeds United in his first season in England, further goals against Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers further endeared him to the Owls’ faithful, who could feel things slowly improving in front of their eyes.

Nuhiu was at the heart of a lot of what Wednesday did well in his early days at the club, with the 2014/15 season seeing him finish as top scorer with 11 goals, with a late winner against Rotherham United the pick of the bunch in that campaign.

While his goalscoring instinct dried up in the years to follow, his impact on games certainly did not, with a regular spot on the substitutes’ bench seeing him thrown on against tiring defenders to cause as much mayhem as possible.

With Carlos Carvalhal in the dugout, Wednesday were turning into a force to be reckoned with in the second tier, with back-to-back playoff appearances proving as much, with Mohamed Diame’s strike for Hull City seeing them miss out on a sensational return to Premier League football.

With the likes of Fernando Forestieri sniffing around to feed off his scraps, player of the Kosovar’s ilk was worth his weight in gold to the way Wednesday played, with his hold up play imperative to his side gaining territory in the final third.

With injuries taking their toll in the second of those campaigns, Nuhiu had to bide his time to get back into the action at Hillsborough, but did so with aplomb in the 2017/18 campaign, as he hit double figures in the league once for the first time.

Leeds were once again left feeling his wrath after a late brace at Elland Road turned the tables on Wednesday’s Yorkshire rivals, with his trademark power and brawn overpowering the United defence, leaving him the toast of the Steel City for the umpteenth time.

The goals weren’t aplenty, but his impact certainly was, and with two more seasons under his belt Nuhiu continued to lead the line at Hillsborough, before finally departing the club in September 2020.

After arriving to little fanfare the big man up top left a Hillsborough hero, as he made his impact on the scoresheet as well as with his selfless work in the final third, and it was little surprise when Owls fans came out in their droves to wish the striker well in his retirement recently.

Having moved on to SCR Altach back in Austria after leaving Yorkshire, the frontman would go on to become a regular up top for the Bundesliga oufit, with 16 goals across three seasons before hanging up his boots in October.