‘Not with us’ – Sheffield Wednesday boss waits for a solution after young Owl linked with Brentford

The Star reported last week that the 18-year-old had still not penned the professional contract offered to him as last season came to an end, and there have been suggestions online that he may have turned out for Brentford B in a recent friendly.

While there is no confirmation of the Brentford link, he was not present when the Owls took on Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday night, adding to the concerns that the exciting youngster may be leaving the club rather than putting pen to paper at Middlewood Road.

The Wednesday boss wouldn’t go into any detail on the situation, only saying that they’re now waiting to see what plays out.

“I’ve spoken about the situation, and I don’t know exactly what the solution is,” Xisco told The Star. “It’s one of those things, we’re waiting now and we’ll see what happens… Right now, no, he’s not with us.”

Wednesday lost young Isaac Holland and Tony Yogane to Brentford B during Darren Moore’s tenure at the club, receiving a reasonable compensation package for the pair given that they’d come through the club’s academy. A similar situation would arise with Phuthi if he did go on to leave.

The club have had the likes of Jay Glover, Cian Flannery and Mackenzie Maltby all sign new contracts over the summer, and Xisco has made good use of the youngsters both on home soil and on their preseason trip to Spain as he takes a good look at them ahead of the new season.