Long meetings and alternative ideas around Liam Palmer's Sheffield Wednesday future
Club captain Liam Palmer is one of the players coming to the end of his contract at Sheffield Wednesday, with decisions to be made over a number of players in the coming weeks.
For a generation of Sheffield Wednesday supporters, a club without Liam Palmer may well seem quite unimaginable.
The boyhood Wednesdayite, who joined the club at the age of seven and went from watching a play-off final win from the stands to lifting the trophy, became the second highest appearance holder in the club’s rich history in the penultimate game of their season of all seasons. It’s a season that he led with distinction, taking on the captaincy from Barry Bannan after the Scot’s departure to Millwall in the summer.
Palmer is approaching the end of his current contract with Wednesday and though the club hold a year’s extension on the terms of his deal, The Star’s understanding at the time of writing is that nothing is fully decided on where his future lies. That said, every indication is that his Wednesday journey will continue into a 17th season of senior football with the Owls. Ahead of a summer of mass change, the retention of a player of Palmer’s leadership and character seems to be seen as a sensible option.
In a campaign badly impacted by injuries throughout the changing room at S6, Palmer led from the front to play more minutes than anyone else and brings vast experience of a division next season from which he swept the boards in the awards stakes last time out.
The eight-cap Scotland international has spent time speaking with manager Henrik Pedersen about the way forward and discussions will continue, with hopes a clear picture of exactly what the future looks like will be available before the Owls boss heads back to Denmark for a short break. As previously reported by The Star, a host of conversations with soon-to-be out-of-contract players are in their infancy - but are taking place.
“I’ve sat with him, we had two and a half hours,” Palmer told The Star over the weekend. “We went through a lot, I’ve been with this club in League One enough times, I’ve been promoted twice out of League One so it was almost my little handbook to what I think is needed to get out of the league and what I experienced both times. That included the experience of not quite getting over the line and what needed building.
“Whether he takes that on board or not is up to him, but I shared by experience from a cultural side, from the dressing room. And that’s been difficult to keep that discipline in terms of the high standard as you ordinarily would at any other club; if you’re late, you get fined. That’s something I’m usually really big on but we haven’t been able to do that with monetary issues and so on. That’s something that needs addressing straight away so that new players coming into the dressing room are following a direct path.”
Wednesday is a hive of activity behind the scenes as things stands, with new ownership having been announced on Saturday with the arrival of US consortium Arise Capital Partners; and David Storch, his son Michael and Tom Costin leading the charge. David Bruce is the club’s new CEO and has got to work with a great deal to achieve in a small space of time. Though early days talks are taking place with players, no sporting director is yet in place - though discussions are taking place on that front.
The situation is akin to building an aeroplane while its still in the air. Palmer, speaking with a relaxed nature, appeared hopeful his deal can be sorted in time.
“The club have an option,” he said. “I’ve spoken to the gaffer about having conversations with David and Michael and Tom. I know they’ve got a list as long as your arm, but I would like to think it would be somewhere up on that priority list and they’d want to keep me at the club, hopefully.
“If I get the chance I’d like to sit and speak with them. I’ve played 47 games which at my age is not bad going - it’s more than anyone. So they can’t use that as an excuse! Aside from the difficulties we’ve had this season, on a personal note I’ve played a lot of games and managed to get up high on the appearance list. It’s just about controlling what you can. Hopefully I can be here when they go on to take the club forward and come out of the other side.
“I’d expect to know this next month really, maybe we get to sit down when the dust has settled and they’ve had the conversations they need to have about budgets and that sort of thing. There’s a year option on me, I feel like there are plenty more years of football left in me. Maybe my role within that changes, I don’t know if it would be another 47 games from me again next year.”
A final day win at home to West Brom served as a tonic, especially alongside the euphoria of new ownership and news of a waived points deduction heading into the new campaign. While the battle of climbing through such a brutal season took a toll on the leaders within the Owls inner circle, it clearly built a bond with it. Owls boss Pedersen has spoken on a number of occasions about the leadership shown by Palmer - and the importance of retaining a broad identity to the set-up heading into a whirlwind summer.
Asked whether Palmer was a player he intended to have around heading into next season, the Dane said: “Yes, of course, yes. We had a really good conversation yesterday about now, about future. And Liam, he has developed a lot, especially as a leader, to be the guy who makes the first step, not waiting for the steps, but to be not a silent leader. Because he has been a strong, strong leader in the background, but also now he is to make the first step and show the direction. He has done an amazing job this season.”
A switched-on individual aged 35 in September, Palmer already runs his own coaching academy and has undertaken coaching badges with a view to life beyond his playing career. Rumours have been abound that some sort of player-coach role is possible in the coming seasons and it’s something the Worksop lad didn’t seem to rule out when asked.
“It’s something I’ve discussed with the manager in terms of a longer-term idea and he’s very keen on integrating players beyond playing for the club,” Palmer said. “He wants to find roles, ambassador roles, player-coaching roles, sporting director stuff - there’s all sorts of courses out there now. I’ve signed off on my coaching badge now and over the next few years I’d like to set off on my sporting director course just to understand it better and see how a club operates higher up. That would stand me in good stead if I did become a manager or coach one day or maybe something above that.
“There are plenty of options. I’m 34 now, which is ancient in football years, but I still feel good, fit, healthy and I want to play football for as long as possible.”