'Not sure' - Sheffield Wednesday boss makes Jordi Liongola position claim after eye-catching debut
Summer signing Jordi Liongola enjoyed an impressive debut for Sheffield Wednesday against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen has admitted he is yet to decide on summer signing Jordi Liongola’s primary position after the Burundi international produced a solid debut in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup first round.
Liongola was one of seven new signings included in the Dane’s starting line-up for the visit of the Championship side. The 26-year-old started on the right flank, assisting fellow debutants Callum Slattery, Harry Gray and Mason Burstow with the attacking effort.
Following his arrival at Hillsborough in June, Liongola was described as an attacking full-back. However, it quickly became clear that he had also played further forward during his career, frequently being deployed as a winger on either flank.
It is no secret that Owls boss Pedersen wants to add another right-sided winger to his squad before the transfer window closes on September 1, meaning Liongola is, for now at least, set to be deployed on that flank.
Although he found himself in a couple of promising positions during his first outing in Wednesday colours, it was his defensive contribution that earned him plenty of credit. He finished the game having won 11 of his 16 ground duels, made ten recoveries, completed three clearances, won four interceptions and made eight tackles.
Those defensive numbers underline just how regularly Liongola tracked back to support right-back Yan Valery and contribute to the Owls’ defensive efforts. With the versatility to operate at right-back himself, Pedersen has suggested that he will need a little more time before making a firm decision on Liongola’s long-term role.
Asked if the right-wing berth will be Liongola’s primary position, Pedersen told The Star: “I’m not sure. If we gave him some games also in the right-back position, I think he could be really strong.
“I still think he’s better when he has the game in front of him. Playing with his back to goal is not his strength. But he can play; he’s a good football player.
“He’s more of a vertical football player than a possession player, so the more time he has to face forward, the better he will be.
“He showed a lot of good things today.”
Although his long-term position remains to be established, Pedersen is delighted with the progress Liongola has made since arriving at Hillsborough less than two months ago, hailing his defensive efforts.
“When he came, we had the idea that he was a good player, but we also knew that he could be a little bit up and down,” added the Wednesday chief. “But he has grown as a defensive pressing player, and you can see how switched-on he is now.
“He has grown so much during this pre-season, from the first week against West Brom. You can see how he has developed: the intensity, the front-foot defending. He is solid in his defensive work.
“If you play a good defensive game, you never play a poor game with us. Today, he played a strong defensive game, and then we have to be better at setting him up. For everyone, there is so much to do better, but he was really strong today.”