Chelsea loanee Michael Hector named Sheffield Wednesday Player of the Season

Michael Hector is about to complete his fourth year as a Chelsea “player” after arriving on Transfer Deadline Day in the summer of 2015. In that time, he’s not played at all for Chelsea, but has played for Reading, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hull City, and Sheffield Wednesday, all on loan. His current spell at Wednesday has been his most successful season as a “Chelsea player”.

A mainstay in the Owls’ starting XI, Hector has been one of the few consistent performers in a turbulent season at Hillsborough, which saw Jos Luhukay relieved of duties midseason and Steve Bruce taking charge a month later. Adam Reach, a midfielder with a penchant for the spectacular and Barry “Iniesta” Bannan were also part of an unchanged core that persisted throughout the crests and troughs of the season, but Big Hec has beaten them both to win the club’s Player of the Season award.

Congrats!

A towering figure at the back, Hector’s willingness to step out of defence with the ball and attempt the Hollywood pass has made him a huge fan-favourite. Of course, these have always been features of his game, which is likely why Chelsea saw it fit to add him to their “talent pool”, but this season, he finally seems to have also cut down on the errors in his game, which have plagued each of his previous loan spells.

Hector turns 27 in July and has a year left on his Chelsea contract. It’s well past the time he found a permanent home for himself. While he finally appears to be ready to step up from Championship level, he may well choose to return to Sheffield Wednesday and help them fight for promotion next season.

“We would love to bring Michael Hector back. Whether it’s possible, he’s still a Chelsea player, and we’ll have to speak with Chelsea and see what they want. I think he’s still got a year left (on his Chelsea contract) but I would love to bring him back if I could.”

-Steve Bruce; source: BBC

Is it a case of fourth loan lucky?