In 2019, Nick Powell was a reliable Championship midfielder with a fascinating past.

Powell, a Manchester United acquisition who never lived up to his early potential, remained an appealing possibility until Wigan Athletic made him available in the summer of 2019.

Sheffield Wednesday were among those that came calling, but when the wage demands arrived, the Owls discreetly moved on, and it proved to be a bullet well and completely dodged.

Dejphon Chansiri’s time at Hillsborough was already marked by a desire to spend above the club’s means in pursuit of Championship respectability.

Against that backdrop, leaving a player of Powell’s caliber felt like a small annoyance. In retrospect, it appears much wiser.

Why Sheffield Wednesday turned away from the Nick Powell pursuit

Steve Bruce was preparing for his first full transfer window as Owls manager, with a clear need for midfield reinforcements after David Jones, Almen Abdi, and George Boyd were all allowed to depart without being replaced.

Powell, who was recently released by Wigan after apparently rejecting a contract worth about £1 million per year at the DW Stadium, surfaced as a legitimate target. Wednesday conducted an inquiry.

But when Powell’s wage demands were put out, the club took a step back. At the time, the Star stated that the pursuit had come to an end due to financial constraints.

Powell joined Championship rivals Stoke City, but Bruce remained pragmatic.”We’re not going to sign anyone just for the sake of it,” he stated.

It was a rare and striking exercise in restraint, especially given Wednesday’s transfer activity during that time frame.

Dejphon Chansiri made a rare prudent move by ending his interest in Nick Powell.

On paper, Powell seemed like a promising candidate. He graduated from Crewe Alexandra’s prestigious academy and was signed by Manchester United as a teenager for an estimated £6 million – pedigree that always comes at a premium.

He had spent three fruitful years at Wigan, scoring eight goals to help the Latics win the Championship in 2018/19, and he possessed the kind of natural talent that drew the attention of scouts and fans alike.

Celtic and Rangers were among the clubs said to be admiring him; there was plenty of interest.

However, the longer arc of his career provided real reasons for hesitancy. Despite the initial hype, his time at Old Trafford was marked by a series of loan moves and few performances.

His loan tenure at Leicester City was terminated early, apparently due to concerns about his devotion to training.

Significant hamstring injuries have already cost him extended periods of football. His brilliance was genuine, but his consistency wasn’t.

Powell would eventually have his best prolonged period with Stoke, topping the Championship scoring charts with 12 goals in 2020-21 and winning the club’s Player of the Year title.

However, injury continued to stalk him: a fibula problem in 2021, a quad issue in 2022, and a progressive decline in performance that left him with only four goals in 26 games in his last season before being released.

Before joining Bradford City in League One in August 2025, he played for Stockport County, which he left by mutual consent.

Wednesday’s financial underpinnings were already being strained by Chansiri’s penchant to sanction wages that exceeded the club’s means, so absorbing Powell’s demands may have been extremely detrimental.

The Owls’ owner had often demonstrated a propensity to prioritize short-term ambition over long-term stability, a tendency that would have far-reaching ramifications for the club.

In that light, the decision to leave Powell appears less like a squandered opportunity and more like an unintentional flash of foresight. Sometimes the best transfer business is the one you never close.