EX-IPSWICH Town striker Connor Wickham has joined Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on loan from Sunderland.

When the Blues sold the striker to for an initial £8.1m in the summer of 2011 they included a clause which stated that they would have first refusal should the Premier League club ever decide to loan him out.

However, Town decided not to make a move when Wearsiders boss Martin O’Neill– having signed Danny Graham for £5m in the transfer window – made the 19-year-old available when the ‘emergency’ loan window opened today.

Blues boss Mick McCarthy is happy with a strike force which is made up of David McGoldrick, Aaron Mclean, Daryl Murphy, Michael Chopra and Frank Nouble.

When quizzed about the possibility of Wickham returning to Portman Road on loan in the past, previous Blues boss Paul Jewell said the fact that the club would have to pay 75% of his wages was a problem.

Meanwhile, former Blues loanee striker DJ Campbell – who scored 10 goals in 17 games earlier in the season – has signed for Blackburn Rovers on loan. He is likely to line-up alongside another former Town striker, Jordan Rhodes, when the Blues play at Ewood Park tomorrow.

– See tomorrow’s EADT for full preview of Ipswich Town’s trip to Blackburn Rovers.