Exclusive:Sheffield Wednesday new boy makes Wrexham, Birmingham link after Millwall pass-up
Sheffield Wednesday have embarked on a ‘rebirth’ following the takeover of the club by new ownership.
New Sheffield Wednesday signing Billy Mitchell chose to pass-up options elsewhere to join what he believes to be a hugely exciting new project at Hillsborough, citing two major examples of success through American investment as a blueprint he thinks they can follow.
The 25-year-old midfielder signed in time to jump aboard Wednesday’s training camp in Hungary last week - and pulled on an Owls shirt for the first time in their friendly run-out against Stoke City in Vienna. A late arrival to pre-season, Mitchell spent some time up-staging his fitness away from the rest of the squad but played 35 minutes in Austria and will continue his progress in this weekend’s double-friendly across the Pennines.
A proven Championship-level enforcer who was a regular for a Lions side that finished third in the division last season, many were surprised Wednesday had managed to secure the services of a player who had been offered three contracts to stay on with his boyhood club. Wider interest had been reported from the likes of Watford and from clubs in Scotland.
Asked why he chose to sign-up to three years at S6, Mitchell told The Star: “It was excitement about what Sheffield Wednesday could be in the years to come. It’s obviously a massive club with new ownership and as I’ve said before, it feels as if they’ve really turned a corner. The kind of recruitment they’ve spoken to me about is exciting.
“We’ve seen the likes of Wrexham and Birmingham in the last few years potentially do something similar and I think Wednesday could potentially be that next story. I’ve got scope to improve in that way as a player as well.”
Comparisons with the projects undertaken at Wrexham and Birmingham would be more than satisfactory for an Owls fanbase that has seen too little in terms of structure and investment in their club for too long. Parallels are there in the language used by US chairman David Storch in how he wants the club to operate and despite spending restrictions and the scale of the task in modernising Wednesday after decades of mediocrity, the ambition is there to rise through the divisions.
Mitchell has played at S6 twice in his career, achieving two wins for Millwall including a 4-0 win over Danny Röhl’s Owls in November 2023. Despite that Lions success he sees Hillsborough as one of the cauldrons of English football on its day and on the prospect of running out there as a home player, he said: “It’s incredible. It’s one of the few stadiums left that has true character with a massive fanbase and I’ve really enjoyed paying there every time I’ve been. I can’t wait.”
Though a number of positions within the Wednesday squad require strengthening before the transfer window closes in five weeks, the midfield area already looks strong in quality - though depth may need work. A trio of Mitchell, Barry Bannan and Callum Slattery looks among League One’s most robust on paper. His move from The Den was confirmed shortly after Bannan’s long-signposted return - so how much of a role did the Scot play in Mitchell’s decision?
He chuckled: “I got on really well with Baz when we were both at Millwall together, we obvious played with each other a few times and I think we really complimented one another with the way that we play. Look, I can do his running and just give him the ball! But yes, he had a lot of positive things to say - it’s obviously his club isn’t it? So he definitely passed on a good word.”