Moves elsewhere prove Sheffield Wednesday transfer mission is a tough task

And still, for now, we wait.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

As teams up and down League One and the wider Football League announce squad additions, all remains quiet at Sheffield Wednesday for now at least.

The club are working hard behind the scenes to address the fact that while the squad members pictured on the first day of their Welsh training camp are ones that should expect shine in the third tier, they appear incredibly light on the ground.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But with the transfer embargo still swirling over S6, with the issue of unpaid wages a constant, with a dozen senior men expected to leave at the end of the month, the fact is that less than six weeks ahead of their season opener, Wednesday are yet to bring a player through the door.

Former Gillingham winger Jordan Graham has signed for Championship Birmingham City.Former Gillingham winger Jordan Graham has signed for Championship Birmingham City.
Former Gillingham winger Jordan Graham has signed for Championship Birmingham City.

It doesn’t take a football finance expert to suggest the market is squeezed at current, particularly in the EFL, with the league-wide losses suffered during the coronavirus crisis having changed the landscape of how the industry conducts its transfer business.

Wednesday have had off-field distractions to contend with of course but are one of only four League One clubs yet to announce a signing.

Several players linked with the Owls, all fairly described at one time or another as ‘realistic’ given the club’s financial restraints and divisional shift, have already been snapped up by clubs higher up the ladder that in any normal window may well have been looking to spend money elsewhere.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Would Luton Town have been so quick to sign Morecambe’s Carlos Mendes Gomes in days gone by? Would Birmingham City have shopping around for League One free agents Jordan Graham and Chuks Aneke?

That’s before you consider Reece James’ snubbing of any notion of League One Wednesday for newly-promoted Championship side Blackpool.

Whatever the reasons, the number of clubs shopping in the same market shines a light on the task ahead of Darren Moore in rebuilding this Owls squad.

The manager is said to be taking a central role in the recruitment push and loan signings of young players from higher echelon clubs, a market Moore is well versed in, may well become an all-important source of new blood.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The hard work for Wednesday looks due to step up not only at their Welsh training camp, but in the recruitment department.

MORE FROM OUR WEDNESDAY WRITING TEAM