Earlier window could alter Sheffield Wednesday's approach to loan deals

The deadline for permanent signings is now 5pm on Thursday, August 9 - just five days after the start of the new Championship season.

That means there will still be a further three weeks for Wednesday to tweak their squad and add loanees to their ranks if they choose to do so.

The Owls made just two loan acquisitions last term, with Frederico Venancio and Jacob Butterfield both arriving on season-long deals to hugely varying degrees of success.

After joining from Vitoria Setubal, Venancio struggled to make the squad under previous manager Carlos Carvalhal before ironically making his debut in the defeat to Middlesbrough on December 23 - just 24 hours before Carvalhal departed S6.

The centre-half went on to make 25 appearances for Wednesday and his classy displays as part of the new three-man defence under Jos Luhukay earned plenty of plaudits.

As the Star reported earlier this month, Wednesday are still keen on pursuing a permanent deal for the Portuguese.

In stark contrast, Butterfield arrived in August from Derby in a swap loan deal, with Sam Winnall going in the opposite direction. Butterfield put in far too many below-par showings.

The fortunes of Venancio and Butterfield are largely in keeping with the club’s dip into the loan market in recent seasons, with the club having brought in players who they would later tie down permanently.

Players who have joined over the past three years who went on to seal permanent Owls’ stays are Jack Hunt, Daniel Pudil and Gary Hooper.

Wednesday have also had their fair share of poor loan arrivals including Aiden McGeady, Will Buckley and Callum McManaman.

Alex Lopez had a successful campaign as the Owls reached the play-off final in 2015/16 whilst Vincent Sasso made a decent impression that warranted a one-year deal but he was eventually released last summer.

Earlier this month Luhukay outlined his transfer plans for what will be his first full season at Hillsborough.

As well as wanting to recruit players who know how to handle the hustle and bustle of the Championship, the Dutchman eluded to possibly bringing in top flight players on loan.

He said: “I think also we must look at the under-23s at bigger clubs in the Premier League.

“Players with a high dynamic, with a high spirit but also maybe in the future need to take a step back and after maybe go a step forward.”