Analyst identifies two unknown players Sheffield Wednesday could sign amid defensive worry

Speaking after a gut-punch late defeat at West Bromwich Albion came with the added pain of serious injury to Di’Shon Bernard, the Owls boss didn’t close the door on the possibility of signing an out-of-contract player, which sits as their only option to strengthen the squad after the transfer window closed last week.

With Akin Famewo and Dominic Iorfa still on the comeback trail, Michael Ihiekwe stands as the only senior centre-half specialist available, though Gabriel Otegbayo is enjoying a promising rookie season and Max Lowe has been a revelation since his move inside. The likes of Yan Valery have impressed on the right of a back three.

Röhl didn’t close the door entirely on the possibility of a free agent addition and with that in mind, we enlisted the help of Wednesday fan and football analyst TWFootball1867 to scope out names that could step in to ease the numbers worry in central defence.

Focusing on players recently out of contract, he fired up the laptop to pick out two out-of-contract figures that have played in the last three months and so would be able to step in and get upto speed to help plug a short-term gap.

Cristian Glauder

A 29-year-old Spaniard, Glauder left Spanish second tier side Cadiz last month and last played just before Christmas - though he was considered fit enough to make the bench in squads in January. He’s left-footed, which fits Röhl’s preferred profile and is described as ‘moderately quick’.

TW picks out strong defensive metrics with an aggressive ground duel success rate of 62 per cent and a suitable style with ball at feet; footage shows Cadiz would often play the ball through him from the goalkeeper, he has an 88 per cent passing accuracy and the ability to drive with the ball in carry.

Glauder can also play as a left-back and has 163 appearances to his name at Spanish second tier level having also played for the likes of Fuenlabrada, Eibar and Albacete. Linked with a number of clubs across Europe, he’s a player that is fit, injury free and likely won’t stay out of contract for long.

Gustav Granath

A six-foot-three Swede aged 27, Granath played around 1,500 minutes in the the Allsvenskan season that ended in the back end of last year and though his Västerås SK side struggled to a bottom-place finish, he was seen as a stand-out performer. He last played competitively in November - as had Stuart Armstrong before his signing - and should be able to step into fitness reasonably quickly.

Tapes studied show a ‘very aggressive defender’ who wins over 70 per cent of his ground duels and carries a 68 per cent aerial duel success - higher than any current Wednesday defender this season. He’s known to be an organising presence who has a high set piece win rate and has a deceptive turn of pace in recovery.

Linked with a switch to big Portiguese side Boavista, he has experience of playing on the right of a back three or in the heart of defence and holds a high pass accuracy of 90 per cent, with as many as 90 passes per game going through him at an average of 50 per 90.

TWFootball1867 is a football analyst who has worked at EFL clubs and provides easy-to-follow technical breakdowns of Sheffield Wednesday matches on social media.