Former Sheffield Wednesday loanee released as free agent

The 33-year-old was released alongside Adrian Akande, Coniah Boyce-Clarke, David Button, Tom Carroll and Louie Holzman as their respective contrats come to an end in a couple of months’ time, with Dean having played 39 times for the Royals over the last two years.

Dean only played nine times for the Owls during a loan spell in 2022, but fully bought into the Wednesday culture, returning in time to try and help Wednesday over the line in the 2021/22 play-offs - to no avail. He says that he got his enjoyment back at Hillsborough.

Harlee Dean loved it at Sheffield Wednesday

Speaking on the Undr The Cosh podcast in November, the former Owl said, “That wasn’t being part of a football club at Birmingham. It was just, grind, surviving, whereas Wednesday, I dropped down to League One but we were going for promotion. Enjoyment was back. The dressing room was just bouncing.

“It felt like good times were coming. It was enjoyable. We were playing good football. We were dominating games. And they’re a massive club, by they way. When that place is rocking, it’s a proper place to play.”

Meanwhile, another former Owls loanee, Joe Bennett, is also set to become a free agent once his contract at Oxford United comes to an end in a couple of months’ time, joining the long list of former Wednesday men who will be available for nothing this summer. The 35-year-old leaves the U’s after playing 34 games over the past two years since leaving Wigan Athletic in 2023.

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