Former Lincoln City striker Bailey Cadamarteri is set to leave Sheffield Wednesday for Championship rivals Wrexham.
The Owls forward has been continually linked with a move away from the crisis-hit club, including with City’s League One rivals Luton Town.
Blackburn Rovers, Millwall and Hibernian were some of the other interested clubs, to which Wednesday had previously stood firm.
But a £1m deal was too good to turn down, and The Star are reporting that a medical is scheduled this afternoon for the 20-year-old.
While this is a little surprising to be writing on deadline day, given the plethora of attacking options Wrexham already possess, it isn’t on the scale of Josh Ginnelly moving to Azerbaijan. I was really excited when Cadamarteri joined the Imps ahead of the 24/25 campaign, having previously seen him in action with the Owls. I actually had the pleasure of seeing him score his first senior goal against Blackburn Rovers in December 2023, which started a fruitful period infront of goal for the young forward.
He grabbed three goals and an assist in the final month of the year to pick up the EFL Young Player of the Month award for December. In a whirlwind few weeks for the Owls forward, he signed a bumper four-and-a-half-year deal at Hillsborough. Cadamarteri ended the season with five goals in 25 appearances before moving to Sincil Bank on a season-long loan.
Things never properly clicked for him in Lincolnshire, despite showing plenty of promise. He gave us a memorable early lead against Birmingham City, before scoring his third goal of the season a week later to help defeat Stockport County. And goals in back-to-back games before Christmas against Huddersfield Town and Reading helped lift City back into the Play-Off places.
His absence from the Imps squad at Northampton Town prompted fears of a recall by his parent club, but the deadline has passed, and Cadamarteri instead was missing through injury. That was the tale of his second half of the campaign with Lincoln, playing only once more against Crawley Town before a groin issue prematurely ended his season.
Back in S6 this season, he has grabbed two goals in 30 appearances. For those unfamiliar with the second tier, Wednesday remain in administration, and are still on negative points this season after being hit with an 18-point deduction. The Owls’ relegation to the third tier could be confirmed as soon as this month.
There is a possibility that Cadamarteri could be playing Premier League football with Wrexham next season. The Red Dragons have ambitions of an unparalleled fourth successive promotion, as they currently occupy the final Play-Off place in the second tier.
League One Impact
This move could also have ramifications in the third tier, as it further paves the way for Ryan Hardie to leave North Wales this window. The latest report from Football League World has seen Huddersfield Town emerge as a surprise contender for the in-demand forward, rivalling promotion rivals Bolton Wanderers and former club Plymouth Argyle.
Bobby Wales, who was previously rumoured to have been an Imps target, is also set to sign for the Terriers, on loan from Swansea City. Burnley striker Ashley Barnes was a potential target for the West Yorkshire outfit, but he has instead opted to fight for his place at the Clarets. Huddersfield lost Leo Castledine this window, as he was recalled by parent club Chelsea before joining Middlesbrough on a permanent deal.
The Cadamarteri transfer doesn’t appear to conflict with the Red Dragons’ pursuit of Davis Keillor-Dunn. With three and a half hours of the window remaining, it appears there is still a long way to go with that transfer, but the expectation is that it will be completed by the 7 pm deadline this evening.
You must be logged in to post a comment.