Exclusive:Sheffield Wednesday contract walkout latest as Max Lowe makes major decision
Sheffield Wednesday have received a major boost in their quest to maintain their squad, The Star understands.
The turn of the month saw Wednesday players handed the opportunity to effectively tender notices to leave the club after they were paid late for the fourth time in five months. FIFA rules broadly allow individuals the right to challenge the terms of their contracts and potentially walk away from their deals as free agents in the case they are paid late in consecutive months.
A turbulent summer hit a fresh low last month when goal scoring pair Josh Windass and Michael Smith did just that and left on terms described as mutual consent to sign on with Wrexham and Preston North End respectively. Further fears were raised again this month, with the understanding that a handful of players had indicated their intention to hand in notices to the club and follow suit.
One of those players was defender Max Lowe. But with the 15-day notice period drawing in, The Star can reveal that the 28-year-old has effectively withdrawn his claim to commit his immediate future to the Hillsborough club after internal efforts to convince him of his role in the underdog mission at S6 were well received. Lowe, who played the entirety of a monumental Owls effort in their Championship opener at Leicester City on Sunday, is believed to have had strong interest from a number of clubs and his decision serves as a major boost to a club short on experienced figures.
The Star is also of the understanding that other players who had signalled their considerations to leaving Wednesday have also committed their immediate future to the club and that as things stand, it is not expected that any Owls players will leave the club this month via the same method as Windass and Smith.
Speaking last week, new Owls boss Henrik Pedersen spoke with an optimism that his squad would remain intact despite notices having been tendered. The Danish boss is believed to have held talks with players with regard to their futures, which would appear to have gone as hoped.
"They know how amazing the club is so I don't need to say a lot of words,” he told The Star. “Our players (would) love to stay here, this is not the question for our players. Also the players who have left, they love our club.
"So it's about what can I do (for them)? What role do they have in the future? What can I do in training? What can I do with the playing philosophy? And all the things that are out of our control, we can speak about it, but I have no influence.”