Sheffield Wednesday: Rodri signing already looking a coup for Owls

DAVE JONES has revealed that Sheffield Wednesday have already fielded an envious call from a Premier League club wondering just how they have managed to prise Spanish striker Rodri from Barcelona.

The 22-year-old, on a season-long loan, was the talk of Hillsborough on Tuesday night after netting in an impressive debut for the Owls in their exhilarating 3-2 home success over Birmingham City.

Jones’s decision to hand the Barcelona B star his bow just over 24 hours after signing was vindicated – and while his grasp of English is limited, he managed to do plenty of talking on the pitch ahead of being replaced to a standing ovation on the hour.

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Jones said: “We got a phone call off one Premiership club saying: ‘How the hell did you get him out?’

“He just has that European ability to just glide past people and that arrogance about him. With his control and his vision, we’re expecting big things from the kid. He’s only young and we have an option to buy him and all the vibes are good for us.

“It was only his first game. But if he gets better than what he showed (against Birmingham), then I think everybody will be really pleased.

“He’s got a little streak in him as well. We were told he felt he should have been in Barcelona’s first team and that’s why he wanted to move.

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“I’m sure the chairman will be pleased because when you bring someone in from a foreign land, it’s always a bit difficult. You never know how they are going to settle and Tuesday will have done him the world of good. The expectation now is really high and everyone will be expectating more of the same.”

While the Owls possess an option to sign Rodri, the asking price is ‘a little bit too much at the moment’ according to the Owls manager with a deal unlikely before the closure of the transfer window at midnight on August 31.

Jones is just happy to have won the race to bring in the former Spain Under-21 ace, who waswatched by a host of family and friends on Tuesday and whose brother is expected to come over to England and live with him, for a season.

The Owls chief has confirmed he remains in the market for three players, including another striker, with the club linked with a move for Millwall’s unsettled forward Dany N’Guessan, who reportedly favours a move to Charlton Athletic.

Also thought to be on Jones’s radar are former loan striker Nile Ranger and Everton’s teenage midfielder Ross Barkley, while Owls goalkeeper Nicky Weaver is tipped to join Doncaster Rovers.

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