Double contract news suggests long-termism is at the forefront of Sheffield Wednesday’s thinking

Teenage striker prospect Bailey Cadamarteri put pen to paper on a new contract last week amid interest from Premier League academies, while former Manchester City midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru can expect conversations over a new deal to begin in earnest in the not-too-distant future.

Wednesday have taken a long look at their youth ranks in the last few months and have offered trials to a number of players after the release of several young players were confirmed towards the back end of last season.

Cadamarteri, 17, will be hoping to build on a stellar start to his time with Neil Thompson’s under-23s side at the end of that campaign. First team boss Darren Moore is known to be an admirer of his talent and the club are keeping a close eye on his development with a view to future senior involvement.

The youngster could have continued on scholarship terms having only been a year in, but did enough to convince the club to take him pro.

Dele-Bashiru was signed on a three-year deal by Garry Monk in the summer of 2020 and it seems the club are not keen on allowing him to get too far into the final season of his deal before moving to secure his future.

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The midfielder enjoyed a breakthrough season last time out before an injury at the start of February curtailed his progress. A stand-out performance in a vital win at MK Dons in April earned rave reviews from pundits and senior Wednesday figures alike.

Wednesday have been criticised in the past for not looking towards the future when it comes to contract decisions, most notably George Hirst for example, and have been stung more recently by the departures of Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide on pre-contract terms to Celtic.

The contract news double-whammy suggests Moore’s Owls are being proactive in securing their future saleable assets as the club seek to build for the future.