The 5 Sheffield Wednesday players we can see leaving in January
Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping for a much-improved campaign in the Championship this season.
Wednesday secured survival last season following a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl, and there is plenty of optimism that they can climb the table in the year ahead.
Rohl signed a new long-term contract at Hillsborough in May, and the positivity around the club increased after a busy summer transfer window that saw the arrival of 11 new signings.
While the Owls’ transfer business initially looked strong, their mixed start to the new season has highlighted some areas of weakness in the squad, and Rohl will be keen to address those in January.
The first few weeks of the campaign have also given an indication as to which players may not be part of Rohl’s plans moving forward, and we looked at who could be set to leave the club during the winter window.
Goalkeeper Pierce Charles is undoubtedly Wednesday’s brightest academy prospect, and he signed a new contract at Hillsborough this summer.
Charles has started all three of the Owls’ EFL Cup games this season, and he has not looked out of place in those matches, making a number of excellent saves and showing impressive confidence with the ball at his feet.
League One side Crawley Town reportedly enquired about signing Charles on loan this summer, but Wednesday were unable to allow him to depart while Ben Hamer was out injured.
However, Hamer is now back to full fitness, and given that Charles looks likely to become the Owls’ number one next season when James Beadle returns to Brighton & Hove Albion, Rohl may be keen send him out on loan in the second half of the campaign to get him some crucial senior minutes.
Defender Gabriel Otegbayo joined Wednesday in March following a short trial period, and he has been a surprise inclusion in the first team this season.
Otegbayo made his debut for the Owls as a substitute in the 2-1 win at Hull City in the EFL Cup in August before starting for the first time in the 1-0 victory at Blackpool in the third round of the competition last month, and he earned praise from Rohl after the game at Bloomfield Road.
“He [Otegbayo] trained very well in the last weeks. When I saw him for the first time I had a feeling that we can improve him,” Rohl told the club’s official website.
“He has a good facility, a good body, he is talking and leads the group even though he is younger.
“He is calm and it was a good performance. There was just one moment in the first half, but in such a game this is normal.
“All in all, it was a good performance.”
The 19-year-old is clearly highly-rated by Rohl, but with the likes of Dominic Iorfa, Di’Shon Bernard, Michael Ihiekwe and Akin Famewo ahead of him in the pecking order, his game time is likely to be limited this season, so a loan spell could be hugely beneficial for his development.
