Former Chelsea starlet Zain Silcott-Duberry is finally a Sheffield Wednesday player after nearly a month of back and forth over his signing, which was announced on Thursday.
The 20-year-old attacker has long since been a consideration to the Owls, who have moved to bring him in to bolster numbers and add an offensive option to a battling attack. Silcott-Duberry has signed on a deal that will make him an Owls player until the end of the season but his age and profile have given encouragement he could become a longer-term option heading into League One next season depending on how things play out.
The Star reported earlier this week that the London-born youngster had agreed a deal and that the signing was imminent. It’s understood that a minor complication in the registration of his insurance put the completion of the deal back a few days.
That pause in proceedings had no material impact on the player, who was never considered to take a place in the matchday squad for the trip to Norwich City. Instead, he was always scheduled to stay home at Middlewood Road to undertake further fitness exercises as medical staff at the club sought to gain a better understanding of his condition and how much football he would be able to play heading into the coming games. It is believed to be more than possible Silcott-Duberry is named in the squad for this weekend’s visit of Southampton.
Silcott-Duberry, who made the switch from Chelsea to Bournemouth before heading to Olympiakos over the summer, was initially brought in to train behind the scenes at Middlewood Road towards the end of January. A loan switch was possible, though when other deals came to fruition the decision was made between the player and the Greek club to terminate his deal.
A hugely highly-rated talent at youth level, his time in Greece never truly took off and niggly injuries combined with a difficulty to settle meant his contribution to Olympiakos’ second string – who play in the Greek second tier – was limited. He spent time back in the UK with the intention of finding a new club and an agreement to mutually end his contract was always thought to be likely. With the ability to sign him as a free agent, the youngster impressed Wednesday enough in a second trial stint to encourage a deal.
“I’m very happy to be here and I think it’s important for me to be here with the current situation that’s going on,” Silcott-Duberry said. “Obviously I want to prove myself, I want to make the fans happy, get people off their seats and improve. This is a big challenge for me.
“They had interest in January and then around that time I terminated to become a free agent. I thought ‘why not take the chance to play football until the end of the season?’ I know a couple of the players here which is good, I know about the club and I know how big the club is and I’ve watched them over the last couple of years. I thought why not come to try and help the squad but also try to help myself as well.”