Sheffield Wednesday can still sign free agents after the closure of the transfer window this week.

Sheffield Wednesday have made clear their stance on the notion of a possible return to the club for Jamie Vardy - with their wider outlook on free agent additions outlined after the addition of David Keillor-Dunn.

The Owls sealed a loan deal to bring Keillor-Dunn in from Wrexham on a loan until the end of the winter transfer window, a move sporting director Simon Wilson said ‘emptied the piggy bank’ on their spending restrictions at the end of a manic and impressive effort in the market.

Wednesday can still sign unattached players despite the closure of the window on Tuesday per FIFA rules and though they will keep an eye on any opportunities arising in the market, it appears their focus is now placed on the road ahead. Owls boss Henrik Pedersen told The Star on Thursday that he was ‘very happy’ with the squad that has been assembled at S6 and that he was not focussed on the free agent market as things stand.

It’s a stance shared by sporting director Simon Wilson, who suggested the youngsters in Wednesday’s existing squad are more likely to be able to step in to any areas of the squad that require problem-solving - though the market will still be monitored in case of emergency.

“We're always on, right? So we always have to have solutions,” Wilson said. “You don't know the problems. Right now, we don't have a need or a desire to go and sign more players.

“But should there be a situation where we have to, we have to know who those players are, where they are and be across their situation. So, yeah, Kevin (Beadell) and the recruitment team are constantly around that and understanding what options we might have should we need them. Is it difficult to market out, for example, if we can just look at centre-half. Sil Swinkels gets an injury and then Ricardo Santos misses a game and stuff like that.

“Can you actually find an attractive option as a free agent in September or October whenever you want to do that? Well, the best option we've got is Ernie Weaver and he's in our building. So that's the reason why we have an academy. It's the reason why we have an under-21 team and it's the reason why we are giving young players professional contracts.

“We believe that they can play in our team and that'll be our first look, first and foremost. Now, if there was a situation where we couldn't use one of those, that might be lend itself to looking at free agents or if it's just an outstanding proposition that we all feel makes sense and would add value to the team and to the club. But yeah, the first priority is the young players that we have in the football club.”

The fan chatter over the free agent signing of former Wednesday schoolboy Jamie Vardy is one that hasn’t gone away all summer, though it has not to this stage seemed especially likely. The former England international is unattached since leaving Italian side Cremonese at the end of last season and the Owls launched a ‘creative’ formal proposal to the EFL that would have seen them able to offer Vardy something. That proposal was rejected at EFL board level on the basis it was felt to fall outside the terms of their ‘business plan’ agreement with the authority.

Wilson outlined the current situation on Vardy and made clear the camps were not currently in discussions. He said: “I think if Jamie Vardy wanted to come to the football club, if there was a way to do it, I think we'd be interested in having that conversation. At this current moment in time, there's not a conversation happening around that. It's not to say there can't be, it's not to say there won't be, but there isn’t one right now.”