Exclusive:European interest in Sheffield Wednesday attacker and exciting young defender
Sheffield Wednesday will go about moulding their squad for the challenge of League One football in the coming months.
Interest exists in a number of Sheffield Wednesday players, The Star understands, as the Owls prepare for a squad rebuild in a whirlwind of change under its new ownership.
Vast changes are happening on and off the field, with the football operation set for a fresh outlook as a new sporting director - understood to be exiting Stockport County figure Simon Wilson - set for appointment ahead of the opening of the summer transfer window in mid-June. The squad requires huge attention, with numbers and quality decimated in the spiralling final months of Dejphon Chansiri’s ownership.
It looks likely that players will be heading the other way, too, though all interest and discussion is at a very early stage. The Star is of the understanding that Polish attacker Olaf Kobacki is of interest to clubs in Europe and that Wednesday will look to recoup the money they paid Arka Gdynia for his services in 2024. The 24-year-old, who joined the Owls amid interest from a number of English clubs, has two years remaining on his Owls contract.
As reported by The Wednesday Word, talented young defender Ernie Weaver is the subject of Championship interest. The Star is also aware of interest from a European club. The teenager, who is well on with his rehabilitation from injury and should be back in good time for pre-season, is believed to be in the early stages of contract discussions over a deal and there appears to be a confidence that Weaver will stay on at S6 on extended terms.
Wednesday’s transfer window preparations will be in no small part informed by financial planning and in what are the early days of the new order and of the post-season a handful of other players are understood to be awaiting firm contract offers as talks continue. The club are operating under the terms of a cap on transfer fees that can be swelled with the sale of existing players.
Should Kobacki ultimately move on, his departure will carry a sense of ‘what could have been’ with injuries having heavily impacted his time with the club. He has registered only one assist in his 30 appearances for the Owls but has shown glimpses of quality in moments either side of two long-term injury struggles.