Sheffield Wednesday: Why Owls boss believes new boy Pelupessy can thrive in England

Wednesday swooped to sign defensive midfielder Pelupessy in a £500,000 deal from Dutch Eredivisie side Heracles Almelo last Thursday.

Pelupessy, who began his career with FC Twente before moving to Heracles in 2014, is thought to have a penned a two-and-a-half-year contract.

He was an unused substitute in Wednesday’s draw at home to high-flying Cardiff City on Saturday night.

Luhukay told The Star: “I have followed Joey in the last few years. He’s 24 and was Heracles’ captain.

“He has a very strong personality. He’s a good character and I think with his quality he will help Wednesday in the future. I’m very happy that Joey decided to come to us and I hope he shows all his qualities.

Pelupessy trained with his new teammates for the first time on Friday but Luhukay felt it was wrong to throw him straight into the side.

On Pelupessy’s qualities, Luhukay said: “Joey has a lot of experience for his age.

“He’s strong in one-v-one situations. He has a good eye with his passing and brings balance in midfield.

“Joey leads from the front. Outside the field, he is not a player who is very loud but on the field he’s a winner.”

Shorn of the services of 10 senior players due to injury, the Owls are looking to bring in further reinforcements before the transfer window closes on January 31. It is understood Wednesday held discussions with Feyenoord defender Miquel Nelom but that deal has hit the buffers.

Luhukay stressed: “We don’t speak about players who have not signed a contract with us. We are looking to the market and where we can bring new players in. It doesn’t matter whether the player comes from the Netherlands, Germany or England. The quality is important and also the position where the player can play.

“We have an eye on the market. We have patience and will only do deals when we think it makes us better.”