Exclusive:Sheffield Wednesday stance on striker signing revealed - could prove difficult
Preparations for a busy Sheffield Wednesday transfer window are continuing behind the scenes.
Discussions behind the scenes at Sheffield Wednesday are continuing as the club prepares for what will no doubt be a busy transfer window as new structures are put in place to form a vast squad rebuild.
The club are awaiting the appointment of a sporting director, whose arrival will no doubt play a big role in the comings and goings in a squad decimated by financial problems in the last year. The Star reported yesterday that Wednesday’s new owners are honing-in on their preferred candidate - who is not Portsmouth figure Rich Hughes - and that things are moving apace on that front.
While that appointment comes to pass, existing staff at Wednesday are busy continuing their preparations for the new season. Manager Henrik Pedersen has already discussed the great lengths he and his coaching staff have undertaken to analyse the requirements of League One, with a team led in the main by Pedersen, head of recruitment Kevin Beadell and assistant coach Pete Shuttleworth believed to have drawn up lists and profiles in preparation for a whirlwind summer.
One of the names believed to have been discussed is that of Jerry Yates, who earned something of a cult hero status during his short time with the club having joined on loan from Luton Town in January. The 29-year-old spoke glowingly of his time with Wednesday and is understood to be receptive to the prospect of a permanent move this summer. Wednesday’s preparations for the window will have taken in a wide range of names and it is not clear at this early stage how heavy their interest would be in the forward.
Should their interest materialise, the prospect deal with Luton is not believed to be straight-forward. A loan deal on favourable terms for Wednesday was sanctioned partly due to personal circumstances and the South Yorkshire-born attacker is under contract with the Hatters until 2028. Luton are understood to have paid a tick over £1m to bring him to Kenilworth Road from Swansea City last summer and the Owls are operating under a transfer cap.
Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield on his feelings towards a potential move to Hillsborough back in March, Yates said: “Listen, it’s a tough situation. I have got two years left on my contract at Luton. I will go back to them in the summer, re-evaluate, sit down and speak. Whether it be with them or whether it be elsewhere, I don’t know yet.
"But listen, to be playing in front of fans like that every week would be sensational. They make me speechless every time, at home and away. I have never seen fans like that. There is only a certain amount of clubs in England that can get a following like that, especially in this position, and be bouncing for the full 90 minutes. It is what the lads need. It’s massive. I am very appreciative of it.”