Ex-Sheffield United man Max Lowe expected to join Sheffield Wednesday exodus after drastic step amid financial crisis
Former Sheffield United man set to continue Sheffield Wednesday exodus after drastic step amid financial crisis
Former Sheffield United man Max Lowe looks set to join the exodus from the Blades’ city rivals Wednesday this summer as the Owls’ financial crisis continues. Bad news just keeps piling up from Hillsborough ahead of next weekend’s season start.
The Owls have already lost a host of key players and former manager Danny Rohl this summer, with Hillsborough’s north stand currently closed over safety concerns. Players and staff have seen their salaries paid late in four of the last five months, with the Owls under transfer restrictions for the foreseeable future after being sanctioned by the EFL.
Josh Windass and Michael Smith have already left Hillsborough over the non-payment issues, joining Championship rivals Wrexham and Preston North End respectively, with more departures possible after the latest late wage deposit this month.
One of them could be left-back Lowe, who made the move across the Steel City to Wednesday after being released by United a year ago. A report from BBC Radio Sheffield journalist Rob Staton this morning claimed that Lowe has handed in his notice at Hillsborough and that the “belief is [that] he will depart by the 15th August.”
Former Sheffield United man set to continue Sheffield Wednesday exodus after drastic step amid financial crisis
The Star is led to believe that Lowe is not the only Wednesday player to have decided to take that course of action, and those players expect to follow the lead of Windass and Smith and be able to leave the club. The number of players intending to enact that right is not yet clear.
Fed-up Owls players collectively forced the postponement of a friendly scheduled for this weekend at Burnley and uncertainty continues to surround United’s arch rivals ahead of the season.
As things stand, in a big twist of irony, Lowe’s final competitive game in a Wednesday shirt could be March’s defeat to United at Hillsborough, which saw him limp off injured in the first half before Rhian Brewster scored the winner in front of the Kop in the second.
Despite playing a bit-part role in his time at Bramall Lane, Lowe emerged as one of Wednesday’s key men last season as they launched a tilt at the play-offs before falling away and ultimately finishing 12th in the Championship.
He often played centre-half under Rohl but did not make another appearance after that injury against the Blades. Lowe - who is no stranger to crossing footballing divides after previously playing for both Derby County and Nottingham Forest - would be expected to get another Championship club should he indeed leave Wednesday this summer.