Sheffield Wednesday: I'm going nowhere, says Carlos Carvalhal after Premier League mix up

Boss Carlos Carvalhal insists he remains focused on Sheffield Wednesday's promotion challenge despite reports linking him with a move to the Premier League.
Carlos CarvalhalCarlos Carvalhal
Carlos Carvalhal

In a recent interview with Portuguese newspaper Revista Sabado, Carvalhal allegedly said he would be open to a top-flight switch.

He is quoted as saying: “We’ll see what the future holds, if there will be an invitation from a Premier League club - there are already some whispers.”

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However, the 50-year-old, who has done a sterling job at Hillsborough since his shock appointment last summer, has reassured Wednesdayites he has no intention of leaving the Championship promotion hopefuls.

Carvalhal has told The Star that his comments were in relation to speculation linking him with a return to the Portuguese top division and that he made it clear his future lies in England.

The Owls head coach claims he was misinterpreted and went on to offer a £1,000 to anyone who can find audio evidence of him using the word ‘Premiership’.

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Carvalhal said: “I never mentioned Premiership and will give £1,000 if they discover the word in the interview.

“I was asked about some rumours about going back to Portugal. He asked me about this and I said ‘no I’m okay I’m okay in England and my priority is to stay in England’.

“I am not planning to go back to the first league - not to the Premiership... first league means first league in Portugal. The people who translated the situation did a bad translation.”

Although Carvalhal has won nearly half of his 47 matches in charge and turned Wednesday into one of the most entertaining sides in the divison, he is keeping tight-lipped over his long-term future.

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“I don’t want to talk about anything until the end of the season,” he said. “It is not necessary to talk about the future.

“I just want to focus on my work. Sheffield Wednesday winning games is the most important thing.”

Meanwhile, Carvalhal may have to rejig his backline for Saturday’s trip to Bristol City. Captain Glenn Loovens is a big injury concern after suffering an ankle problem in Tuesday’s narrow win over Blackburn Rovers.

“Glenn felt a big pain so he had to come off,” said Carvalhal, who admits Sam Hutchinson is still struggling to overcome a virus. “I don’t know what the full extent of the problem is yet.”