In or out? Darren Moore has meetings in place with players over their Sheffield Wednesday futures
Sheffield Wednesday’s squad transition under Darren Moore will start this week after their sorry relegation to League One was confirmed.
The Owls’ campaign came crashing to an end with a 3-3 draw at Derby County that saw the hosts stay up in their place. Wednesday twice led in the match.
A raft of first team players come to the end of their contracts this summer, providing Moore and Wednesday the opportunity to oversee what many believe is a much-needed turnover of players.
The Star reported last month that the club had put all contract conversations on hold until their divisional status was confirmed.
And speaking after the season end, Moore confirmed that only now will those decisions be made, with all players due to meet with the manager this week.
Asked just how brutal the cull could prove to be, he said: “It would be really wrong for me to say that here. We’ve got meetings planned, but nothing has been decided.
“And why’s that? Everything we’ve done since I’ve been here has been about staying in this league. Other clubs have probably been working towards last season, we haven’t. Why? It’s been all about staying here.
“We have got those meetings booked and scheduled in. But I’ll be having those meetings first before relaying to you guys and let the public and supporters know going forward.
“That’s me being as honest as ever in terms of where we’re at.”
It was confirmed beyond any lingering doubt by Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri that Moore and his staff would be staying on at Wednesday next season. And for the manager, the hard work starts now.
Whether they had been relegated or not, he said, they faced a busy summer.
“Whether we’d stayed in the Championship or we hadn’t, it was an important summer, regardless of what had happened today,” he said.
“That’s because of the situation that we’re on and the situation that this squad is in.
“We’ll be looking at that immediately, straight away, because there is no time to be wasted on that.
“I have plans. We have to have the conversations that need to be had first before we move forward.”