Go for it Luhukay – This £800,000 defensive wall could solidify Sheffield Wednesday’s backline

EFL Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday are keen on signing defender Frederico Venancio in the summer window, as per reports from the Star.  

The 25-year-old who plies his trade for Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Setubal FC, spent the 2017/18 season on loan with the Owls and has managed to impress one and all at the club with his solid performances at the back. Now, the club want to bring him back to Hillsborough on a permanent deal.  

A graduate of the Vitoria Setubal academy, Venancio had spent all his footballing career with the club, barring a short loan stint with the Benfica U-19s back in 2012, until this past campaign when he was with Wednesday for the entire term.

The youngster has made 134 appearances for the Portuguese outfit, scoring 7 goals in the process and registering 3 assists.  

Having moved to Hillsborough last summer, Venancio had to wait till the month of December to make his first appearance for Jos Luhukay’s side, starting in the 1-2 loss against Middlesbrough in the Championship.

From then, the Portuguese just missed four league games as he played a key role in the Owls ending the season on a strong note.  

Venancio finished the season with 25 appearances in all competitions for the Hillsborough outfit, scoring and assisting one goal apiece.  

Before his Championship debut, the Owls had managed just four clean sheets in 22 games, whereas after he broke into the team, Luhukay’s side kept eight shutouts until the end of the season, including clean sheets against the likes of promotion winners Wolves and Cardiff, along with playoff position finishers Derby County and Middlesbrough, highlighting the impact that he made on the team.  

An aggressive, no-nonsense defender, the former Portuguese youth international is an old school centre-back who relies on his positioning and awareness. He prefers to clear the ball out of danger rather than attempting to build play from the back.

Strong in the air as well, Venancio has demonstrated in his loan stint with the Owls that he has all the tools needed to grow into a defensive mainstay for them in the years to come. 

The deal could be complicated by the fact that the defender has a contract with Vitoria that runs until the summer of 2021.

However, as per reports, the Portuguese outfit are willing to sell him for a fee in the region of £800,000. 

At that price, Venancio would prove to be quite a steal for Wednesday, considering the fact that he has proven himself in the English second division and is just 25 years of age, with his best years still ahead of him.