Luton striker hints at Owls move when he evaluates his future in the summer
Forward still has two years left on his deal with the Hatters
Luton striker Jerry Yates has hinted he would be interested in making his loan move to Sheffield Wednesday a permanent one when he evaluates his future at Kenilworth Road in the summer.
The 29-year-old had moved to Town in the summer from Swansea City, following a campaign in which he hit double figures during a loan spell at Derby County in the Championship. He struggled massively to get going with the Hatters though, scoring just seven goals in 29 games, but only two in the league, as he was allowed to move away from the club in the January transfer window.
After heading to Hillsborough, Yates didn't score in his first six games, as the club, who have been hit with two points deductions this term, are already relegated to League One for next season, that happening last month when losing to fiercest rivals Sheffield United. However, Yates then got up and running during the 3-1 home defeat to Southampton just over a week ago, before making it two goals in two game when scoring in the 2-1 loss at former side Derby County on Saturday, the club’s 14th successive defeat.
Now starting to look at his own future for the 2026-27 season, Yates who failed to win over the Luton crowd, is believed to be developing a rapport with the Owls supporters and might try to make it his permanent home, telling BBC Radio Sheffield: “Listen, it’s a tough situation. I have got two years left on my contract at Luton. I will go back to them in the summer, re-evaluate, sit down and speak. Whether it be with them or whether it be elsewhere, I don’t know yet.
"But listen, to be playing in front of fans like that every week would be sensational. They make me speechless every time, at home and away. I have never seen fans like that. There is only a certain amount of clubs in England that can get a following like that, especially in this position, and be bouncing for the full 90 minutes. It is what the lads need. It’s massive. I am very appreciative of it.”
Speaking about the forward following his goal last weekend, Owls boss Henrik Pedersen had also been impressed with the striker’s efforts since signing from Luton, saying: "You can feel Jerry loves this club. He's working so hard every day in training. He always tries to do his best in the game. He's a fantastic character. To see him score a goal today, it was nice for all of us."
Although Yates might want to make South Yorkshire his home going forward, then discussing his future when allowing him to leave the club, Luton chief Jack Wilshere didn’t rule out him putting on a Hatters shirt once more, adding: “I know at times it was tough for him. We talk about the social media side of things, he was probably one that suffered from that a lot. His confidence was low and it just didn’t quite work out for him. So I hope he goes, I hope he finds his confidence, I hope he scores some goals.
"He’s still our player, he’s on loan, he’ll be back in the summer and let’s see if he comes back a different Jerry Yates. He’s been excellent. His attitude and his commitment to try and help the team, but I have a different way of playing than the last manager and he had a different way of playing than the last manager before that. It’s a loan, so let’s see how he gets on. We’ll still keep our eye on him, still keep in touch with him, so I hope he does well there.”