Sheffield Wednesday direction remains hazy as Danny Röhl comments reiterate the obvious

Danny Röhl never made any secret of his ambition. Months into a remarkable survival effort that took Sheffield Wednesday from rank no-hopers to form that would have seen them thrown into the Championship play-off conversation, he spoke openly in various interviews about a desire to manage at the highest level as soon as possible. The hope in the blue half of Sheffield, of course, was that he would be able to do so at Hillsborough.

Comments made throughout the final weeks of last season took the idea of his desire to move on from Wednesday beyond speculation and interviews since have made clear the Bundesliga remains an option for a boss whose switch to Southampton last Christmas was halted only by Dejphon Chansiri’s high compensation demands, with a high top-line figure set by the terms of a contract signed a few months earlier.

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An interview published by German outlet Bild on Saturday reiterated Röhl’s desire to jump into one of Europe’s top divisions and when naturally asked whether the Bundesliga would be a desirable destination, he hid little. The publication carried a photograph of an interview taking place at Wednesday’s training ground, leaving some supporters questioning whether the talented German coach was back in South Yorkshire ahead of the new campaign.

The Star has reason to believe the image was taken in the days after the Owls’ last home game of the season against Portsmouth on April 26.

“It's always about working at the highest level”

"If it were up to me, as soon as possible,” he said when asked when he’d be heading home for a job in Germany’s top tier. “The Bundesliga is obviously something special because I grew up with it. For me, it's always about working at the highest level. I want to compete against the best teams, with the best coaches. I have the good feeling that I've been able to generate significant added value over the last 18, 19 months in a demanding league with very different playing styles."

Asked whether he had spoken to RB Leipzig about their vacant managerial position, which remains unfilled, Röhl said: “I don’t want to say anything about that.”

Among the comments made by Röhl in the closing stages of last season were suggestions he didn’t feel Wednesday were able to match his rate of ambition going forward and off-field developments since have given little reason to believe him to be wrong. The 36-year-old told reporters back in April that he had informed the club of his ‘decision’ regarding his future and The Star believes this conversation to have been had in the days after a failure to pay his players on time for the month of March.

As of Sunday evening, it is understood players are still in wait of their wages for May, with Wednesday under transfer embargo and understood to be operating under the terms of a three-window ‘transfer fee ban’ due to its repeat failure to satisfy its financial obligations.

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Return interest from Southampton did not carry through and many of the job vacancies Röhl has been linked with in the last weeks have now been filled, though reports suggesting interest from Leipzig, Middlesbrough and Leicester City remain. With academy starlet Caelen-Kole Cadamarteri the subject of a seven-figure chase by Manchester City among others, it remains to be seen whether Chansiri and Wednesday are willing to drop any demands on compensation for Röhl while financial obligations go unsatisfied.

“I see the interest from clubs as validation of my work,” he said. “There were inquiries last year, too, even from Germany, from the Bundesliga . It feels good that my name is constantly being mentioned both here in England and in Germany. But I also know that football is fast-paced. The last 18 or 19 months are no reason to rest. I remain very, very ambitious. And I'm always ready to work hard. We'll see what happens in the summer.”

It remains to be seen how the short-term future pans out with Wednesday’s players expected back at Middlewood Road within the next three weeks.

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