VIDEO: Carvalhal lays down the gauntlet to new Owls signing

Head coach Carlos Carvalhal has challenged Steven Fletcher to produce the 'best season of his career' after becoming the Owls' first summer signing.
Steven FletcherSteven Fletcher
Steven Fletcher

Fletcher joined the Championship club last Friday, penning a four-year contract following his release by Sunderland.

The striker, capped 28 times by Scotland, spent the second half of last season on loan at Marseille.

Carvalhal says Fletcher was his number one target this summer as Wednesday look to build on their sixth-placed finish in the 2015/16 campaign. The Portuguese chief is sure Fletcher will score goals, weigh in with assists and bring more experience to his forward line.

“Steven was our first choice and we are very happy that he has joined us,” said the Portuguese boss.

“He is a player that we know very, very well and someone who can link the midfield with the attack and can understand very easily how we play.

“Steven is a technical player and I think our fans will like him very quickly,” he said. “The challenge will be for Steven to produce the best season of his career, like many of our players did last season and this time hopefully go one better.”

Fletcher, who has totalled transfer fees of £15m in his career, has described his decision to move to Hillsborough as a “no-brainer”.

The 29-year-old said: “It wasn’t really a hard decision.

“I had a few phone calls over the summer when I was away on holiday with my family.

“But Sheffield showed a lot of interest and when I finally came down to speak to them when I got back, I was happy with what they said and how they wanted to move forward with the team.”

He added: “The way the manager has the team playing as well (was a factor). I watched them a few times last season and liked the way they played and when I spoke to them as well, they said all the right things for me and I was happy about it.”