---
title: "Profit Players: Sheffield Wednesday made good money on Lucas Joao despite average Hillsborough career"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/profit-players-sheffield-wednesday-made-good-money-on-lucas-joao-despite-average-hillsborough-career/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Jack Maleham"
section: "Features"
published: "2020-09-06T17:00:11Z"
modified: "2020-09-06T17:00:11Z"
---

# Profit Players: Sheffield Wednesday made good money on Lucas Joao despite average Hillsborough career

**This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.**

Back in July 2015, Sheffield Wednesday secured the signature of relatively unknown Portuguese youngster Lucas Joao, paying Nacional a pretty hefty [£2.5m](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lucas-joao/transfers/spieler/234787) to take him to Hillsborough.

Aged just 21, the striker had just enjoyed a very decent season in Liga NOS, bagging [six goals and providing seven assists](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lucas-joao/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/234787) which was obviously enough to convince his compatriot Carlos Carvalhal to snap him up.

In his first campaign in South Yorkshire, Joao was solid if unspectacular. Whilst he wasn’t a regular starter, he did manage to make [48 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lucas-joao/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/234787/plus/0?saison=2015&verein=1035&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=) across all competitions, scoring eight times whilst setting up another four as the Owls went on to lose in the play-off final.

He continued to struggle to make the starting 11 in the 2016/17 season and after just seven starts and three assists in the Championship, Wednesday opted to send him on loan to fellow second tier club Blackburn Rovers where he scored [three in 13](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lucas-joao/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/234787/plus/0?saison=2016&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=).

Returning to Hillsborough after his spell at Ewood Park, Joao continued to play a bit part role and he scored just [twice before January](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lucas-joao/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/234787/plus/0?saison=2017&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=) in the 17/18 campaign, including [one against bitter rivals Sheffield United](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/spielbericht/index/spielbericht/2893506).

During that season however, Carvalhal was sacked by the Owls’ hierarchy and [Jos Luhukay was named as his replacement](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11703/11197018/sheffield-wednesday-appoint-jos-luhukay-as-clubs-new-manager#:~:text=By%20Sky%20Sports%20News&text=Sheffield%20Wednesday%20have%20appointed%20former,and%20is%20now%20at%20Swansea.) on 6th January 2018. This proved to be a bit of a gamechanger for Joao, who hit a purple patch of form under the Dutchman, netting [seven goals and providing four assists](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lucas-joao/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/234787/plus/0?saison=2017&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=) in the remaining 19 games of that term under his tutelage.

\[freshpress-quiz id=”292811″\]

His improved form under Luhukay led to Sheffield Wednesday rewarding the striker with a [new contract](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45273500), keeping him at Hillsborough until the summer of 2021.

He then went on to enjoy his most prolific campaign in a blue and white shirt as he scored 10 goals in 31 Championship appearances during 18/19, with eight of those strikes coming under Luhukay before he was [sacked in December 2018](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46650596).

His strong run of form had alerted other clubs and after coming on and [scoring for Wednesday against Reading](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lucas-joao/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/234787/plus/0?saison=2019&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=) on the opening day of the 19/20 season, he then went on to [sign for the Royals](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49255880) just three days later for a fee of [£4.86m](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lucas-joao/transfers/spieler/234787), meaning the Owls pocketed a tidy £2.36m profit.

There were flashes of brilliance during the Portuguese’s spell at Hillsborough, but ultimately he was [largely inconsistent](https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/latest-owls-news/comment-why-selling-lucas-joao-reading-good-bit-business-sheffield-wednesday-488634) during his four year stay. Indeed, in a total of 127 appearances he scored just [29 goals](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lucas-joao/leistungsdatenverein/spieler/234787), meaning he averaged roughly a goal every four-and-a-half games.

In truth, that is a pretty mediocre record and you have to say that when taking his numbers into account, Sheffield Wednesday worked wonders in the transfer market to sell him on for a significant profit and much more than his market value at the time ([£2.25m](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/lucas-joao/transfers/spieler/234787)).

***Owls fans, how did you rate Lucas Joao’s spell at Hillsborough? Let*** ***us know in the comments below…***