Exclusive:Pierce Charles latest, an interest cooled and more as Sheffield Wednesday push on in busy summer rebuild
Sheffield Wednesday’s vast summer rebuild effort continues apace - with a number of comings and goings to come.
The winds of change continue to sweep through Sheffield Wednesday as new additions are prepped for their announcement in the coming days, The Star understands.
Things are progressing on deals for the likes of Callum Slattery and Jordi Liongola - both of which are believed to be at advanced stages - as well as a return for Crystal Palace’s Tayo Adaramola, while contract talks with starlet youngster Will Grainger are all but complete. Further efforts are ongoing behind the scenes as the Owls look to strengthen their squad at the outset of what promises to be a busy and bustling summer. The Star understands the number of new players at S6 could raise to as many as 20.
As reported previously, progress is believed to have been made on the addition of Aston Villa defender Sil Swinkles, with the Owls having moved ahead of rivals for his signature in the last days. The Star understands that an interest in Swansea City’s Czechia youth international defender Filip Lissah, who spent last season on loan with Scottish side Falkirk, has been cooled for the time being. A deal that would confirm the return of club legend Barry Bannan from Millwall remains in the works but is not thought to be especially imminent at this stage.
In terms of outgoings, The Star were among those to announce the imminent departure of senior man Svante Ingelsson, with terms agreed with Stoke City around a move to the Championship club that could stand to raise Wednesday somewhere over £1m. It is understood that personal terms are also agreed in that deal, meaning things are likely to move quickly towards confirmation. As previously reported, Yan Valery is expected to leave the club.
Another of last season’s main men is Pierce Charles, whose absence from the testing stage of pre-season at Middlewood Road has been noted by some supporters. The Star is told this was pre-agreed on account of his involvement in international friendlies with Northern Ireland earlier in the break and that he is scheduled to join up with his teammates in due course.
It is no secret Charles is of interest to a host of clubs, with French club Strasbourg again believed to be among the front-runners for his signature having engaged in discussion over his possible signing ahead of the January transfer window. The Star understands that no formal bids have been placed for Charles at this stage, though with one year remaining on his contract it seems highly likely that such heavy interest will result in offers being considered - with Wednesday set to take a strong fee for a player of his age and profile.
Wednesday have been linked with a couple of potential goalkeepers heading into the summer, with Stevenage’s former Aston Villa stopper Filip Marschall the latest name to have been credited.
New contracts for experienced defenders Liam Cooper and Max Lowe were confirmed by the club earlier this week, with Ricardo Santos already through the door following his time with Swansea City. Those deals will effectively come into official effect as their current deals turn over into their new ones - and when the formalities of paying creditors are complete in-line with their exit from administration and their agreement with the EFL.
The Star has reason to believe progress has already been made on the payment of creditors and is all on schedule as per our report earlier this month. The expectation is that the ratification of creditor payments would allow for the registration of contracts and full transfer deals to be eased from July 1. The work continues apace.