Championship side Sheffield Wednesday have announced the signing of defender Osaze Urhoghide following his departure from AFC Wimbledon earlier in the year.

A former member of The Dons academy set-up, the 18-year-old had previously been involved with the club's first-team squad. Urhoghide however, never got the chance to make his senior debut for the club, and left Kinsmeadow following the expiry of his contract at the end of last season, before being offered a trial with Wednesday.

Having impressed during his time with the Owls over the course of the summer, Urhoghide has now signed a permanent contract with the Yorkshire club, and is set to link up with their Under 23s side for the coming campaign.

Speaking to Wednesday's official website following confirmation of Urhoghide's signing, The Owls' academy manager Steve Haslam said: “We gave Osaze a trial spell with our Development Squad and we’re really pleased with him.

“He’s a physical defender, he’s hungry, has shown excellent potential and wants to learn – all things we want to see at the club."

Looking ahead to assess his new signing's potential for the future, Haslam added: “He’s been in and around the first team at his former club, he’s done very well with us and trained with the first team on occasion.

"We’ve seen where he’s at now but the key thing is, he wants to get better and that’s what we’re all about.”

The Verdict

I think this could prove to be a very smart move from Sheffield Wednesday.

Having already spent time in and around Wimbledon's first team before being signed up for The Owls' Under 23s side at the age of just 18, there certainly seems to be a significant amount of potential within Urhoghide that Wednesday now have the opportunity to exploit.

Stepping up a level to a club the size of Wednesday is only likely to benefit the player himself as well, with the step-up in facilities, as well as in those he is learning alongside, likely to help develop his game even further, meaning Wednesday could soon have a very promising player on their hands.

Given his potential, and the fact that he had been available for nothing, you wonder there may be some other clubs who further down the line find themselves regretting the fact that they did not move for Urhoghide first.