Sheffield Wednesday's signing of Will Vaulks in the summer already looked like a great deal for Darren Moore's side, but the Wales international is now ranked as their most valuable player.

The former Cardiff City man arrived at Hillsborough on a free transfer after his contract with the Bluebirds expired, and he has established himself as a regular in the Owls' midfield so far this season.

The 29-year-old has made 19 appearances in all competitions so far this term, scoring just once, but that came via a wonder strike in the 1-0 win against Port Vale in early October.

After that winning goal at Vale Park, Moore was full of praise for the midfielder's ability, saying:

“It doesn’t surprise me because we knew what we were getting, the quality player that he is, the experience that he has and what he can give us.

“He showed that quality and experience today to manage the game like that. He was a big cog for us today and came up with the winning goal.”

According to WhoScored, the defensive-minded midfielder has been the 13th-best performer in Moore's squad so far this season with a solid but unspectacular 6.65 rating.

With nine starts to his name already, despite a brief injury issue in October, Vaulks looks set to be a key part of the Owls' team for the rest of the season as they look to earn automatic promotion from League One and return to the Championship.

Moore has been able to add a number of Championship-quality players to his side despite the Owls' relegation to League One in 2021, and Vaulks certainly comes under the category, as he has nearly 200 second-tier appearances to his name with Rotherham United and Cardiff.

Therefore, it is perhaps no surprise that he is now valued as one of the top players in Wednesday's squad at €1.5m (£1.3m), which emphasises just how much of a coup it was for the Owls to sign him on a free.

Not that Moore will want to move Vaulks on anytime soon but if the Owls do opt to sell him, they look set to make a significant profit on the Welsh midfielder.