6 goals in 8 starts; £3m striker is showing why Beale wanted him at Rangers

 

Ike Ugbo’s stunning form at Sheffield Wednesday is proof of why Mick Beale was keen to lure the striker to Rangers during the summer of 2023 with the ex-Chelsea youngster threatening to make history with the Championship outfit.Never in the history of the competition has a player representing Sheffield Wednesday ever won the Player of the Month award. That will change, however, if Ike Ugbo can fight off competition and claim the February crown from under the noses of Josh Sargeant, Omar Hutchinson and Leeds United midfielder Ilya Gruev. Few could claim that Ugbo – who was linked with Rangers via The Sun during the latter days of the Mick Beale era – would not be deserving of his own slice of Hillsborough history.

Sheffield Wednesday v Birmingham City - Sky Bet Championship

The Canada international, signed on loan from French side Troyes in the January transfer window, scored no fewer than five goals last month. In fact, during his first eight starts under Wednesday boss Danny Rohl, Ukbo has found the net six times while adding an assist to his collection. A startling run of form which has Sheffield Wednesday – a side who looked doomed not so long ago – on a four-game winning streak, and now on the verge of escaping the relegation zone.  “You look at what (your transfer targets) can do, and you have a little bit of an idea in your mind,” Rohl tells The Star of Ugbo, who worked with Beale during his time in the Chelsea academy. “I am happy we got these players.  “(Ugbo) deserved it,” the manager adds, Ugbo embracing his talisman role with a late winner over Rotherham United last weekend. “He worked hard against the ball. “It was not easy in his first role – pressing – and knowing he would not get the ball. It was about forcing the long ball. He did well, and that’s why he deserves his goal.” Rangers were linked with a host of strikers last summer before Beale invested heavily on bringing Danilo and Cyriel Dessers to Ibrox. And while many of those aforementioned attacking targets have struggled over the last six months or so – Matija Frigan and Nikola Krstovic have netted only nine league goals between them – Ugbo is one Beale target who might just have been worth pursuing.

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