Sheffield Wednesday: Garry Monk called striker deal a "no brainer" but he scored just once | OneFootball

Striker Elias Kachunga joined Sheffield Wednesday from Huddersfield Town in 2020, but he failed to live up to manager Garry Monk's expectations.

It has been a decent start to the season for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

After securing survival last season following an incredible turnaround under Danny Rohl, it was a busy summer for Wednesday as the German rebuilt his squad, with 11 players arriving at Hillsborough during the course of the transfer window.

While the jury is still out on some, many of the Owls' summer additions have made a positive impact so far, with the likes of James Beadle, Yan Valery, Max Lowe and Shea Charles particularly impressing, and Rohl will be hoping to bring in more strong signings in January.

However, it is fair to say that Wednesday have had a mixed record in the transfer market since owner Dejphon Chansiri's takeover in 2015, and there have been some notable transfer flops over the past decade, especially in the striking department.

Jordan Rhodes and Sam Winnall are two of the higher-profile names that failed to deliver after joining the Owls, but Elias Kachunga was another striker who endured a disappointing spell in South Yorkshire following his move from Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2020, despite a ringing endorsement from then manager Garry Monk.

Garry Monk's confident Elias Kachunga claim after Sheffield Wednesday arrival

Kachunga joined Wednesday on a free transfer after his departure from Huddersfield Town, where he had spent the previous four years.

The 32-year-old initially joined the Terriers on loan from Ingolstadt in June 2016 before the move was made permanent in March 2017 for a fee of £1.1 million, and he scored 13 goals and provided four assists in 48 games in his first season at the club to help David Wagner's side to a surprise promotion to the Premier League.

However, Kachunga failed to maintain his form, and he was released at the end of his contract after scoring just three goals in 37 appearances during the 2019-20 campaign.

Despite that disappointing return, Monk emphatically backed Kachunga to be a success after bringing him to Hillsborough, revealing that it was an easy decision to sign the striker once he became available.

"I’ve known Elias for many, many years. We’ve seen Elias within this market and it’s a no brainer for me," Monk told Yorkshire Live.

"He brings experience and youthfulness. He is still at that age where he should be in his prime years. He brings that attitude and what I am looking for and also the quality that I think can help the team.

"It was difficult last season or so for him at Huddersfield with Huddersfield getting relegated and stuff like that. He comes in with a fresh attitude and quality in the parameters we are working in.

"Like with anyone, he can improve but I think he can contribute to what we need to do. I am delighted that we were able to get him and he is another player that wanted to come here and meet this challenge head on."

Elias Kachunga failed to repay Garry Monk faith at Sheffield Wednesday

It is common practice for managers to speak highly of their new signings, and it seems that Monk did have genuine belief in Kachunga, but there was little evidence in his career goalscoring record to justify the confidence of the Wednesday boss.

Given that the Owls were facing a relegation battle after being handed a 12-point deduction, there was an acceptance from supporters that it would be difficult to bring in high quality additions, but the arrival of Kachunga, who had scored just four goals in the previous three seasons, did not excite the fan base.

Despite the reservations over the signing of Kachunga, he made a decent start to his Wednesday career as he scored on just his second appearance for the club in the 2-0 win at Rochdale in the EFL Cup second round, but he struggled to replicate that impact in the league.

Kachunga was a regular starter in the early stages of the season, but with his wait for a first league goal continuing, he fell out of favour after Tony Pulis replaced Monk in November, making just five substitute appearances during the Welshman's brief 10-game tenure.

Caretaker manager Neil Thompson restored Kachunga to the starting line-up after taking charge following Pulis' departure, but unfortunately, there was no change in fortunes for the German as his problems in front of goal went on.

There was another managerial change at Hillsborough in March as Darren Moore arrived, and Kachunga once again found himself out of the picture, with all of his five appearances in the remainder of the season coming from the bench.

Having scored just one goal and provided two assists in 29 games for the Owls, it was little surprise when Kachunga was released in the summer of 2021 following the club's relegation to League One, and he certainly did not live up to Monk's optimistic prediction.

Kachunga joined Bolton Wanderers after his departure from Wednesday, and he went on to score just eight goals and register nine assists in 91 appearances during his two-year spell at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

The striker made the move to Cambridge United last summer, and coincidentally, he was reunited with Monk when he took over at the Abbey Stadium in March.