Mason Burstow, Sheffield Wednesday, Bolton Wanderers
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Despite a couple of 0-0 draws in their eight league games so far this season, Sheffield Wednesday have been one of the better attacking sides in League One.
Henrik Pedersen's side are third in expected goals generated per game, at just over two, and only Huddersfield Town have averaged more shots on target per game than the Owls, too, per Opta.
With the number of attacking players Sheffield Wednesday signed over the summer to build on a core which was filled with Jamal Lowe and Will Grainger, it's evident that the Hillsborough-based side have some of the better attacking numbers in the division. A seven-goal haul against Bromley back in August helps, too.
However, while the likes of Louie Barry and Kieran Morrison have hit the ground running in forward areas, and Lowe himself has led the line impeccably, it's not been a 100% success rate thus far for Wednesday's attacking players.
Mason Burstow hasn't started the 2026/27 campaign on the foot front
Mason Burstow
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Mason Burstow was Sheffield Wednesday's 12th signing of the summer, coming in on loan from Hull City in late July. He won promotion last season while at Bolton Wanderers, scoring 12 and providing six assists in just over 2,500 minutes of action.
The 23-year-old has yet to hit the ground running at Hillsborough, though. Due to the number of players who can operate across the forward areas, Burstow hasn't nailed down a starting spot, but arguably, he hasn't done enough to warrant that yet.
The Hull loanee's two goal involvements this season came in that 7-2 thrashing of Bromley in what was his first league start for the club. He's started three third-tier games since, but has been taken off no later than the 65th minute in all three, having made little impact.
Mason Burstow League One stats
Appearances (starts)
Goals
Expected goals
Duels won
Chances created
Pass accuracy
The latter two of those starts were in both goalless draws against Wigan Athletic and Stockport County, and he missed a gilt-edged chance from close range against the Hatters.
Burstow was relegated back to the bench against Huddersfield, only coming on for the final five minutes as Wednesday chased a route back into the game, which they ultimately found.
Mason Burstow struggled with consistency at Bolton Wanderers
The Toughsheet Community Stadium, Bolton Wanderers
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Ultimately, Burstow arrived at Hillsborough with 18 goal involvements for the side that earned promotion through the play-offs last season, but that doesn't tell the whole story.
The frontman began last season on fire at the Toughsheet Stadium, scoring seven times in his first 11 league games for Bolton. Many felt that, with Hull unable to buy players due to their embargo, they'd made a mistake by loaning him out.
Unfortunately, that proved to be just a purple patch. Burstow failed to score in his next 16 games, leading him to lose the starting striker role to Sam Dalby. The 23-year-old scored in his first game off the bench after losing the starting spot, and would score his remaining four goals as a sub, too.
Perhaps that's why Burstow was loaned back out to League One once more by the now-Premier League Tigers. His inconsistencies in the Bolton side last year would have made him a risky capture for a Championship side, but even now back in the third tier, he's not started as he did last season.
Mason Burstow clearly has the potential, but needs to make good on it soon
Mason Burstow
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Burstow's breakthrough at Charlton Athletic saw Chelsea sign him back in 2022, just before he turned 19. He'd already made 23 senior appearances for the Addicks, and the Premier League giants saw him as someone who could make an impact in the top flight one day.
Bolton Wanderers, Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic, Birmingham City
Bolton Wanderers, Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic, Birmingham City
After a year in the youth system, the frontman went out on loan to Sunderland, who, the year before, had finished inside the Championship's top six. The Black Cats would have wanted to build on that, and saw Burstow as someone who could lead the line towards doing that.
However, the young Chelsea forward failed to impress through his first eight games, and would spend the majority of the remainder of the campaign as an unused substitute. He did score one goal, against Stoke City in January 2024.
And it was that season which prompted Hull to sign him for around £2 million in the summer of 2024. Evidently, he has promise, but barring those three months at the start of last season with Bolton, he hasn't been able to capitalise on that.
Sheffield Wednesday will need to rely on Mason Bustow to carry the attacking baton this season
Henrik Pedersen
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In the end, this is an issue that, currently, isn't biting Sheffield Wednesday just yet, and the pros of having so much quality in the forward areas are that the attacking burden isn't on just one player's shoulders.
However, there'll come a time, whether it's due to injury or otherwise, when Burstow will need to lead the attacking charge over long periods.
With blanks in his last five starts, two of which came against Salford City and Sunderland's U21s in the EFL Trophy, there isn't much confidence right now that he can. But we know that the 23-year-old can undergo a purple patch, and when he does, Wednesday will be wise to capitalise on it.
From there, it's up to the coaches and Burstow himself to ride that wave and maintain that form for a longer period, or else Wednesday may find themselves ruing loaning him in, like Sunderland and, in part, Bolton have done in the past.