✅ Done Deal: Sheffield Wednesday have officially confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Joe Lumley ahead of their crucial clash with Middlesbrough FC.

Joe Lumley will make his Sheffield Wednesday debut against old club Middlesbrough on Wednesday, having joined on a seven-day emergency loan.
The 30-year-old was registered in time for Wednesday’s encounter against one of the early front-runners in this season’s Championship, after Ethan Horvath was sent off, leaving them without a senior goalie.

The Owls are now subject to five transfer embargoes, having been subject to ten since the conclusion of last season, however the rules offer an exception for teams lacking a “professional custodian”.

With Horvath serving a one-match ban for a red card he received at Charlton Athletic on Saturday, and Pierce Charles still recovering from shoulder surgery, they would have had to rely on 18-year-old Logan Stretch, who has appeared on the bench in every game this season but has yet to make his senior debut.

Lumley, on the other hand, has nearly 200 league starts, including two League Cup outings this season for Bristol City.

Lumley was loaned out to Doncaster Rovers, Accrington Stanley, Morecambe, Stevenage, Bristol Rovers, Blackpool, and Gillingham while playing for Queens Park Rangers.

He joined Middlesbrough on a free transfer in 2021, making 39 appearances across all competitions in his debut season before spending the next year on loan at Reading. He subsequently spent two years with Southampton before joining Bristol City in the summer.

The League has taken a harsh stance on the Owls’ summer recruitment, and Lumley is only the third new player allowed to register.

Whether under embargo or not – there was a time during the summer transfer window when Wednesday were not – they had to obtain Football League clearance to add anyone to their team and demonstrate that they could afford to pay them.

They were allowed to loan Horvath from Cardiff City until January, when Charles’ shoulder injury left them without a senior custodian, and were only given permission to loan Harry Amass from Manchester United after the Red Devils agreed to cover all associated costs.

Barry Bannan was the only out-of-contract player who was allowed to re-sign in the summer at significantly higher earnings.

The League has been putting pressure on owner/chairman Dejphon Chansiri, who, along with the Owls, has been charged by them with failing to satisfy his financial requirements, to sell the 158-year-old club.

Lumley will make his debut in unusual circumstances, with the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust encouraging home fans to boycott the televised match against the Teessiders.

Emergency goalkeepers can only be leased out for seven days, with the option to renew on a weekly basis, but this should not be the case on Wednesday.

According to league rules, players recruited in this manner must immediately into the starting lineup, however it is unclear whether this means Lumley will have to start at home against Oxford United on Saturday, when Horvath will be available again.