‘I have big respect’: The former Portsmouth favourite lauded for surprise transformation at Championship crisis-club
Jamal Lowe scored 30 goals during a two-and-a-half-year stay at Fratton Park.
Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrick Pedersen has credited former Pompey favourite Jamal Lowe for revolutionising himself at Hillsborough this season.
After a summer of financial turmoil under former owner Dejphon Chansiri, a number of profile names including Josh Windass, Michael Smith, Callum Paterson departed the crisis-club in the summer.
With Wednesday also slapped with a three-window registration embargo by the EFL, it stopped the Owls from recruiting new faces, with Pedersen turning to the academy in order to fill his matchday squads.
But Lowe has stepped up in Sheffield Wednesday’s improbable survival battle and has been transformed into an attacking midfielder, away from his more-natural centre-forward role.
Although the ex-Pompey forward has already scored three goals this term - one less than last season’s tally - the former Bournemouth and Swansea City man has become a defensive presence in Pedersen’s side, which saw him earn 66 ball touches against Preston on Saturday.
Jamal Lowe lauded for Sheffield Wednesday transformation
And the 31-year-old’s contributions have been heavily praised by the head coach, who has lauded the League Two title winner’s outstanding evolution in what has proven a tough campaign at Hillsborough.
Speaking to our sister paper, The Star, Pedersen said: ‘I said something about each player before the game today and Jamal, I think, was a player where there was a big difference between when he was good and not good earlier [in the season].
‘But how he has grown as a human and how stable he is defensively. When we are looking back at the last weeks, how much effort he has put in, not just defensively, but offensively [deserves credit].
‘How he did it today in both directions, I have big respect for the young man, who is a little bit older than the youngest.’
Jamal Lowe thriving in new Sheffield Wednesday role
Although Lowe has spent much of his career either in attack or on the wing, including his time at Fratton, the forward has had to undertake more defensive duties for the Championship’s bottom club.
And the ex-Pompey man has made his excitement about trying out new roles clear in a bid to help the Owls’ unlikely survival push.
He added: ‘Honestly, anywhere on the pitch. What Henrik says is true; you are seeing a lot of players play in different positions, or changing positions mid-game because of the lack of the number of players.
‘It shows how well the players are adapting to new positions and new roles and taking on new responsibilities. I am all for trying my best in a new role in the team, and I know everyone else is. As long as we put our all in, we can do it.’