Sheffield Wednesday starlet Gabriel Otegbayo has revealed how close he came to going on trial at Steel City rivals Sheffield United, ahead of agreeing terms at Hillsborough.
The Irishman had also previously endured trials with fellow Championship outfit Stoke City, but was not handed a contract offer with the Potters, ahead of making his move to Wednesday.
Otegbayo made his Owls debut as a late substitute during a 2-1 EFL Cup victory over Hull City last summer, and has subsequently gone on to make five Championship appearances for Danny Rohl’s side.
On Saturday afternoon, the young defender scored his first ever goal in senior football, as he had the final say in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Millwall at Hillsborough.
Sheffield Wednesday man Otegbayo makes Sheffield United admission
Following the Owls’ match on Saturday afternoon, which Football League World reported on, Otegbayo revealed to the press just how close he came to having a trial with the Blades.
The 19-year-old said: “I just finished my trial at Stoke – Stoke didn’t offer me a thing.
“Then it was like January time, and my agent said ‘Sheffield United are interested in a centre-half, and Sheffield Wednesday’.
“I support Chelsea, and my favourite colour is blue.
“I promise you, my favourite colour is blue, so I was like, ‘I’ll go Sheffield Wednesday first, if I don’t like it, I’ll go Sheff United,’ he (Otegbayo’s agent) said no worries.
“(I) Went Sheff Wednesday, we played Aston Villa in a friendly, under-21s.
“They told me ‘keep coming again’ (I) kept coming back, and yeah, never looked back since.”
Otegbayo reveals delight after scoring first goal in senior football
As well as admitting how close he came to having a trial at Bramall Lane, the Wednesday man also shared how pleased he was to score his first goal in senior football: “I’m buzzing really, I wasn’t really expecting it, but it is what it is.
“I’m just very happy to be honest.
“I used to be a striker back in my day.”
| Gabriel Otegbayo’s 2024/25 Championship Stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 5 |
| Starts | 1 |
| Minutes played | 187 |
| Goals | 1 |
Otegbayo’s goal was a pleasing moment for the Owls on an otherwise frustrating day
The Wednesday faithful will have been pleased to see one of their club’s young talents find himself on the scoresheet for the first time, and will now take even more delight from the knowledge that he chose to move to Hillsborough, when perhaps he could have signed for cross-city rivals United.
But Otegbayo’s 85th-minute equaliser was just one good moment on an otherwise frustrating afternoon for the Owls, who will feel as though they should have claimed all three points on Saturday afternoon.
Of course, it was Millwall who held a 2-1 lead with less than 10 minutes on the clock before Otegbayo bagged the hosts’ equaliser, but Wednesday failed to be clinical.
Rohl’s side took the lead on six minutes, when Yan Valery thrashed home a half-volley, after being picked out by Anthony Musaba’s well-crafted cross.
But the Owls missed a golden opportunity to double their lead just shy of the half-time break, when Ike Ugbo fired a penalty well over Lukas Jensen’s crossbar.
Otegbayo will now hope that such a significant moment in his career may lead to him being handed just his second Championship start in the near future, but Wednesday will be disappointed not to have claimed all three points.
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