Official: Baker joins Sheffield Wednesday on loan

Lewis Baker will be spending the rest of the season in the Championship. The official site reports that the young midfielder has been dispatched to Sheffield Wednesday, and he's set to join up with his new team before their match against Nottingham Forest and fellow Blues loanee Todd Kane.

To be honest, the loan move is a bit of a disappointment considering Jose Mourinho's comments at the beginning of the year that Baker was to be integrated with the first team. While a number of the academy players have been given cameos this season, only Nathan Ake has had anything even approximating real playing time, and this loan strikes me as a reaction to the lack of action Baker's received with the senior squad, even in matches where we might have expected him.

On the other hand, it's a chance for the midfielder to impress. He certainly has the talent to make a difference for Wednesday, currently tenth in the table and six points out of a playoff spot, so let's hope he manages to impress Stuart Gray and get a sustained run with the Owls. Good luck, Lewis!