Sheffield Wednesday defender's international career still going strong despite Owls' relegation
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Yan Valery appears to still be a big part of Tunisia’s plans despite Sheffield Wednesday dropping into League One.
The 27-year-old has made seven appearances in all competitions this season, starting six out of seven league games and the EFL Cup win against Bolton Wanderers. The only match he missed was the opening day victory at Leyton Orient.
The right-back, who can also play in midfield, played for Tunisia in this summer’s World Cup, starting all three group games, and he was expected to leave after spending the second-half of last season on loan at Swiss Super League side BSC Young Boys. Valery is in the final year of his Owls contract having signed a three-year deal in 2024.
The versatile Valery was given an extended break after the World Cup and did not join the Wednesday squad for the start of pre-season. There was always the possibility that he might leave right up until the end of the summer window which closed on September 2.
Despite Wednesday being relegated to the third-tier, Valery was still picked by Tunisia and he played 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Uganda in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Thursday night. According to the statistics, Valery was one of Tunisia’s better players in the game. Tunisia led through Adem Arous on 12 minutes but were pegged back by Rogers Mato with just over 20 minutes remaining. Botswana and Libya are the other two sides in Group H and they drew 2-2, leaving all four teams on one point after the first round of fixtures. Valery and Tunisia are next in action on Monday away at Botswana.
Speaking of his delight at keeping Valery, Henrik Pedersen said: “I am really happy that he's staying. He's a strong, strong player for us. He's very, very strong on the right side. He's a big asset for the team, so I'm really pleased that he will stay.
“We want to have as many good players together as possible so we can create the strongest team. And of course, to have Yan as a right-back is a big asset for us because he's a very, very, very strong League One player. So, of course, it's very, very important because he's strong.”
The Owls have an extended international break after their next two league games were postponed. They next host Sunderland under-21s in the EFL Trophy on October 6.