{"id":562057,"date":"2020-08-14T12:04:56","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T16:04:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=562057"},"modified":"2020-08-14T12:04:56","modified_gmt":"2020-08-14T16:04:56","slug":"steven-fletcher-joins-stoke-city-after-being-released-by-sheffield-wednesday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/08\/14\/steven-fletcher-joins-stoke-city-after-being-released-by-sheffield-wednesday\/","title":{"rendered":"Steven Fletcher Joins Stoke City After Being Released by Sheffield Wednesday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Steven Fletcher has joined Stoke City<\/a> after he was released by fellow Championship club Sheffield Wednesday earlier this summer.<\/p>\n

Steven Fletcher Joins Stoke City<\/h2>\n

Vastly Experienced<\/h3>\n

The 33-year-old will bring a wealth of experience to a Stoke side who are looking to climb the Championship table in the 2020\/21 season.<\/p>\n

Fletcher has spent the last four years with Sheffield Wednesday. However, he has also enjoyed spells with Burnley<\/a>, Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers<\/a>\u00a0in English football.<\/p>\n

Last season was his best to date with the Owls, as he scored 13 goals in 30 appearances.<\/p>\n

However, he rejected a new contract at Hillsborough, meaning he was released when his contract expired on June 30.<\/p>\n

While he has never been the most prolific goalscorer – the most he has scored in a single season was 14 – he has been consistent in his role as a targetman.<\/p>\n

In total, he has registered 152 career goals from 552 appearances.<\/p>\n

What Was Said?<\/h3>\n

Speaking about his new signing to the official Stoke City website<\/a>, manager Michael O’Neill said: “I’ve known Steven for a long time, since he first broke into the team at Hibernian. He’s a player I’ve always liked; I’ve watched his career with interest and wherever he has been he has done well and scored goals.<\/p>\n

“I know how important he was to Sheffield Wednesday last season and it’s no coincidence that they had a difficult second half of the season when injury took Steven out of the team so I think it’s a really positive signing for us.”<\/p>\n

Third Signing of the Summer<\/h3>\n

Fletcher joins former Wednesday team-mate Morgan Fox<\/a> and James Chester<\/a> in making a permanent move to the Bet365 Stadium.<\/p>\n

Stoke will be looking to improve on their 2019\/20 position next season. The Potters finished 15th in the Championship, after a steady second half of the season saw them move away from the relegation zone.<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>