Sheffield Wednesday in talks with Nathaniel Chalobah over future - Cam Dawson and Wanya Marcal stance
Sheffield Wednesday are continuing to explore their options with regard to their squad rebuild.
The stance on the potential re-signing of Nathaniel Chalobah to Sheffield Wednesday has been eased - with discussions having been held over where the two parties stand going forward.
The exploratory talks have taken place after the midfielder was welcomed back to senior training during their St George’s Park training camp earlier this month. The Star was told that that arrangement was made initially on a training brief as Chalobah sought a new club. The one-cap England man has not travelled to their ongoing training camp in Hungary.
A player of undoubted quality who was a standout performer when available for the Owls, Chalobah’s two-year run at S6 effectively came to an end at the end of last month after he announced his departure from the club. He made 31 appearances for the club amid injury struggles - nine of which came on the spin in the final weeks of the last campaign.
With more fitness resources available to them, Wednesday will be operating carefully-curated individual training programmes in the coming season and should anything come of any interest in Chalobah, the hope would be that he can be managed in a way that would see his quality shine through on a more consistent basis.
The midfielder has featured in both of Wednesday’s behind-closed-doors pre-season friendlies to date and appears to have impressed. “I think he has done a really good job with us,” Owls boss Henrik Pedersen told The Star in Budapest. “And we are speaking with Nate about the future. So let's see what happens.”
Pressed on the balance between signing a player of Chalobah’s quality with the availability issues that plagued his stint at Hillsborough, Pedersen said: “Nate played the last run of games (last season). Now he has played two games in a row. We are discussing right now what is the next step for the club, and he is one of the players that is interesting to us.”
The one non-contracted player that has travelled to Hungary is former Owls goalkeeper Cameron Dawson, who has been training with the club for some weeks. Again, this was initially seen as a mutually beneficial arrangement given Wednesday’s dearth of senior goalkeepers and Dawson’s search for a new club following his release by Rotherham United.
Pedersen ruled nothing out in terms of a possible place for the 31-year-old back at his boyhood club, but appeared less forthcoming on the chances of Wednesday pursuing a deal. Dawson has been a loud and bubbly member of camp since he stepped back into Middlewood Road.
“First of all, it's nice to have him back,” said the Dane. “He's a fantastic human, a good goalkeeper and we all enjoy that he's here. He will train with us the rest of the week. And then we'll see what happens.”
Pedersen also confirmed that former Leicester City attacker Wanya Marcal was not with the club anymore following his time training with the club. The 23-year-old former Portugal youth international featured in their pre-season friendly programme but will not be signing with the Owls going forward.