Rovers’ Deadline Day has seen them allow another departure, as cultured midfielder John Buckley, has joined newly-promoted Sheffield Wednesday on a season-long loan deal, which includes a recall clause in the January window.
The academy graduate, who ironically made his senior debut at Hillsborough off the bench in a 4-2 defeat back in 2019, has struggled to break into the first-team this season after recovering from the knee injury that curtailed his end to the 2022-23 season.
Since returning for pre-season after recovering from the setback, Buckley featured in four of Rovers’ eight total friendlies, even netting a penalty in a 4-3 win over Barnsley, but has only made one Championship appearance for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side, which came in the 2-2 draw at Rotherham United. The 23-year-old has, however, playing in both EFL Cup games, netting in the 4-3 home victory over Walsall in Round One and bagging a brace and an assist in the record-breaking 8-0 win at Harrogate Town in the Second Round.
Despite being an established member of Rovers’ rather youthful setup, Jon Dahl Tomasson has alluded that he is a fan of the midfielder, but does need to ‘do all the right things in training’ to reclaim his place back in his starting squad.
By joining Sheffield Wednesday, Buckley will undoubtedly be playing in an extremely pressurised environment which could help Tomasson in the long-term, as Buckley learns the demands of playing at a high level in what looks to be an early-season relegation battle for the Owls, in-front of 40,000.
Good Luck, Bucko!
