Sheffield Wednesday stars must take advantage of final audition vs Bolton Wanderers
Five talking points ahead of Sheffield Wednesday’s Carabao Cup first round clash against Bolton Wanderers.
Sheffield Wednesday will be targeting a winning start to the 2026/27 campaign when they welcome Bolton Wanderers to Hillsborough in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Saturday afternoon.
The Owls, who knocked Wanderers out of the competition at this stage last season, are embarking on a new era following the completion of Arise Capital Partners’ takeover of the club at the very end of last term.
A transformative summer has taken place at Hillsborough, and everyone is hoping that the feel-good factor created off the pitch will now translate onto it. Arise have invested in the club’s infrastructure and overseen the arrivals of 13 new players.
With the clash against Bolton marking Wednesday’s final opportunity to build momentum ahead of next weekend’s League One opener against Leyton Orient, they will be determined to make a winning start to the season.
Ahead of the clash with Steven Schumacher’s side, here are five pre-match talking points:
A new dawn
When Wednesday kicked off the 2025/26 campaign at Leicester City last August, the away end was practically empty, with Owls fans choosing to come in five minutes late in protest against former owner Dejphon Chansiri. Wednesday had endured a torrid summer, and the situation gradually worsened, ultimately leading to the club going into administration.
As devastating a moment as that was in the Owls’ rich and colourful history, it also signalled the end of the Chansiri era. Following several months of uncertainty and difficulties on and off the pitch, Arise completed its takeover of the club on May 1, bringing an end to the darkest chapter in the club’s history.
Although Arise’s stewardship is only just over three months old, Wednesday have made huge strides off the pitch in next to no time. A record-breaking number of season tickets have been sold, ground improvements have been carried out, key off-field appointments have been made, 13 new players have been recruited, and two very popular kits have been released.
With so much positive energy around the club, Wednesday now need it all to come together on the pitch. Patience will be required this season amid the scale of the rebuild currently taking place, but there is no doubt there is a buzz around the Owls again.
Debuts galore expected
Wednesday announced their 13th signing of what has been a very busy summer on Friday, confirming the arrival of former Everton midfielder Tyler Onyango. He had recently been on trial at Hillsborough and featured in last Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Oldham Athletic in the Owls’ final pre-season friendly.
Wednesday needed quantity as much as quality this summer after losing so many players in the summer of 2025 and a handful of others at the end of last season, meaning a sizeable intake was always expected. The Owls have so far strengthened their goalkeeping department, bolstered their centre-back options, recruited well in midfield, brought in Louie Barry, and signed Harry Gray and Mason Burstow to add to their attacking options.
Billy Mitchell, who arrived from Millwall last month, is the only summer signing to have been ruled out of the clash with Bolton after recently suffering a minor ankle injury. Thankfully, it is not serious, and he is expected to be back in training on Sunday.
It means Pedersen could hand out a collection of debuts against the Trotters, who will be hoping to exact revenge on Wednesday for last season’s Carabao Cup first-round exit.
Final audition
With the first round of the Carabao Cup preceding the start of the League One season this term, the visit of Bolton will give Wednesday’s players one final chance to secure their place in Pedersen’s starting XI for next Saturday’s opening league game against Leyton Orient.
Wednesday brought pre-season to a close with a dismal result and performance against Oldham last Saturday, but the fact that the clash with Bolton carries a competitive edge ought to give the Owls’ players an added incentive to make their mark and secure a place in Pedersen’s first-choice starting XI.
For example, Wednesday’s centre-back department, on paper at least, looks as though it could be highly competitive this season, meaning places are up for grabs. Gabriel Otegbayo and Sil Swinkels established a regular partnership during pre-season, but both Liam Cooper and Ricardo Santos have been declared available for the clash with Wanderers, meaning they will be hoping to get chances to impress.
Mitchell’s unavailability means an opportunity has opened up in central midfield alongside Barry Bannan, while Jamal Lowe, Burstow and Gray will be battling to lead the line.
Familiar ground
Bolton strengthened their defensive options earlier this summer with the signing of former Wednesday centre-back Akin Famewo from Hull City for an undisclosed fee. The 27-year-old was not part of Hull’s plans for life back in the Premier League, and he has signed a three-year deal in Greater Manchester.
Famewo spent three years at Hillsborough, making 76 appearances, before moving on in July last year. He was offered a new deal before deciding to move elsewhere.
Initially linked with former club Charlton Athletic, the versatile defender joined Hull on a free transfer and made 17 Championship appearances last season, helping the Tigers secure an unlikely promotion.
Having joined Bolton last month, he could make his debut against his former club. Injuries were a recurring theme during Famewo’s time in S6, but he was a reliable performer whenever he was available.
Wednesday’s recent Carabao Cup record
Winners of the League Cup in 1991, Wednesday have only exited the competition in the first round once in the last nine seasons, falling at the first hurdle in 2021/22. Ironically, that was the last time the Carabao Cup kicked off the domestic season, with Wednesday being beaten on penalties by Huddersfield Town after a goalless draw at Hillsborough.
Since that defeat to the Terriers, Wednesday have exited the competition once in the fourth round, twice in the third round and once in the second round. They went out at the third-round stage last season, losing 1-0 at home to Grimsby Town.
That marked Wednesday’s first defeat in regulation time in the competition since a 2-0 loss to Fulham in the third round in 2020/21, meaning they have lost just one of their last 13 Carabao Cup ties in 90 minutes.