You might be very surprised at where these three ex-Owls stars are playing now

It’s been a busy summer transfer window for Sheffield Wednesday, with plenty of arrivals and departures.

After leading Wednesday to survival following a remarkable turnaround last season, coach Danny Rohl brought in eleven new signings this summer, while key players such as Liam Palmer, Dominic Iorfa, Di’Shon Bernard, Barry Bannan and Josh Windass signed new contracts at the club.

The summer also saw a number of players leave Hillsborough as Rohl rebuilt his squad, including some members of the team that achieved promotion from League One in the 2022/23 season.

Owls fans will no doubt be watching with interest to see how their former players perform at their new clubs and with many moving on to other EFL sides it will be easy to keep an eye on their progress.

However, some players have made surprising career moves after leaving the club and you might be surprised to know where these three ex-Wednesday stars are now playing.

Gary Hooper – Kettering Town

Striker Gary Hooper initially joined Wednesday on loan from Norwich City in October 2015 before making his move permanent in January 2016, and it’s fair to say he became a firm fan favorite at Hillsborough.

Hooper was part of the team that reached the Championship play-offs in back-to-back seasons under Carlos Carvalhal in 2016 and 2017, but struggled with injuries towards the end of his time at the club and was released in the summer of 2019, leaving after being in Scored 31 goals and provided 12 assists in 89 games for the Owls.

The 36-year-old played for Wellington Phoenix, Kerala Blasters, Omonia and Gulf United before moving to National League side Barnet in October 2023 and he has had a good start to his Bees career, scoring twice in 10 games scored, but he didn’t appear from December onwards.

Hooper’s career appeared to be coming to an end after he left The Hive, but he made a surprise move to Southern League Premier Division Central side Kettering Town this week and is hoping to help his new club gain promotion back to the National League North .

Saido Berahino – Rajasthan United

Striker Saido Berahino joined Hillsborough on a free transfer in August 2021 after leaving Belgian club Zulte Waragem.

Berahino showed a lot of potential in the early stages of his career at West Bromwich Albion, but after moving to Stoke City in a deal worth £15 million in 2015, he failed to make it and suffered from off-field problems.

He certainly caused a stir when Wednesday signed Berahino, but the 31-year-old proved to be a decent addition, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in 36 games and helping his side reach the League One play-offs, in However, they were beaten by Sunderland in the semi-final.

Despite scoring some important goals throughout the season, Berahino was released by the Owls at the end of the season and moved to AEL Limmasol.

After scoring four goals in 44 games during his time in Cyprus, Berahino made another interesting career move in August when he moved to Indian second division side Rajasthan United, who finished third from bottom last season.

Lucas Joao – Persepolis

Striker Lucas Joao moved from Portuguese club Nacional in July 2015 and scored 29 goals and provided 13 assists in 127 games for the club.

Joao initially struggled to establish himself in the Owls team and was loaned out to Blackburn Rovers in the second half of the 2016/17 season, but was featured more regularly after returning from Ewood Park.

Wednesday sold Joao to Reading in July 2019 for a fee of around £5 million and they may have some regrets about that decision as he scored 45 goals in 119 games for the Royals.

Joao left Select Car Leasing Stadium last summer after his side were relegated to League One and, after spells with Shanghai Port and Umm Salal, he moved to Iranian club Persepolis in September.

Persepolis have won the Persian Gulf Pro League title in each of the last two seasons and are on course to secure a third consecutive title this season, but Joao is hoping for more playing time in the coming months as he limited to substitute missions since his arrival.