Former Sheffield Wednesday man and EFL pundit speaks honestly on how dearly wages debacle could cost Owls in the transfer market
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Though it is understood that money is trickling into bank accounts of those owed money by the club, many players are still owed several weeks wages in what has been a long-standing issue at the club.
Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri warned as early as last year that cashflow issues caused by the coronavirus crisis could damage the club’s ability to keep up with their financial commitments going forward.
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Hide AdSeveral highly paid players will leave the club at the end of the month, which should ease their issues.
But the spaces in the squad they leave behind must be filled, and manager Darren Moore faces a task in rebuilding a squad on a much-reduced budget.
Former Wednesday midfielder and Sky Sports presenter David Prutton, who was part of the Owls squad that was last promoted from League One, believes that while Sheffield Wednesday’s ‘big club’ reputation will set them apart from most clubs in the third tier, uncertainty over wage payments will be of concern to potential additions.
Prutton told The Star: “If you are a footballer, you have to look at it purely from a business point of view.
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Hide Ad“Yes it might be glorious playing for Sheffield Wednesday, and it is, but nobody does it for free. A fan's take on that, there’s always the assertion that they would play for nothing and I understand that.
“But when it's your job or it's your career, that'll be something that'll be heavily thought out by anyone they approach. It'll definitely come into it and hopefully they're able to sort it out and draw a line under it.
“If you're coming at it purely from the angle of playing for a club like Sheffield Wednesday, especially at that level, it will be a huge draw in that division an the sort of players they will be hoping to attract. But they have to get their house in order.”
Wednesday announced last month that 10 senior players would leave the club at the end of their contracts. Contract negotiations with Osaze Urhoghide appear to have hit the buffers, while Julian Borner appears set for a return to Germany.