Arise can make Sheffield Wednesday statement if they secure contract breakthrough
Sheffield Wednesday, unsurprisingly, will have a fight on their hands to keep hold of Max Lowe this summer.
With a new chief executive already through the door and the appointment of a sporting director understood to be edging closer, Arise Capital Partners have made a promising start to their Sheffield Wednesday premiership.
The US consortium, which is made up of David Storch, Michael Storch and Tom Costin, secured the keys to Hillsborough less than a fortnight ago and they have wasted no time in attempting to put key fundamentals in place.
The appointment of David Bruce as the Owls’ first CEO in more than seven years is a statement addition to the club’s off-field structure. He has arrived in S6 with a glowing reputation after an impressive spell at Sunderland, serving as their chief business officer.
Bruce is set to play a key role in Wednesday’s search for progress off the pitch while the appointment of a sporting director will assist with the club’s ambitions of improving on the pitch. A sporting director was never appointed during Dejphon Chansiri’s ten-year spell as owner.
With Arise moving quickly to put key pieces of the jigsaw together off the pitch, the expectation is they will want to move just as fast when it comes to rebuilding the playing squad. In his maiden speech to Wednesday’s supporters on the pitch at Hillsborough earlier this month, chairman David Storch vowed to “put a competitive team on the pitch” ahead of next season.
A massive rebuild is required in S6 ahead of the 2026/27 League One campaign getting underway, and no shortage of Wednesdayites are open to the idea of the squad being rebuilt from scratch to mark the beginning of a new dawn.
A crop of players are out-of-contract at the end of June meaning some exits are inevitable, but one player who everyone connected with Wednesday hopes will be staying is Max Lowe.
The defender, who turned 29 on Monday, has excelled since joining Wednesday on a free transfer in July 2024 after leaving cross-city rivals Sheffield United, meaning every Wednesdayite is eager to see him stay at Hillsborough this summer.
Lowe’s contract is up at the end of next month and Wednesday do not hold an option to trigger an extension, meaning they are going to have to try and convince the former Nottingham Forest to sign a new deal.
As reported by The Star, Championship interest is mounting in the defender, meaning Wednesday have a fight on their hands to keep him. It is understood the likes of Stoke City, Middlesbrough and Derby County are all keeping tabs on him, likewise Leicester City, who were relegated to League One alongside Wednesday this season.
Such levels of interest will come as no surprise to anyone of a Wednesday persuasion. The versatile defender, who withdrew his notice to leave the club last summer in favour of staying, has barely put a foot wrong since crossing the Steel City divide ahead of the start of the 2024/25 season, producing a string of fine performances across his 66 outings for the Owls.
Lowe missed almost three months of this season through injury, meaning he missed 18 matches, and his absence was felt. However, he returned just before the March international break, appearing as a second half substitute in Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat to Hull City at the MKM Stadium, and then started the final seven games of the season on the other side of the pause.
Wednesday, albeit from a very, very low base, ended the campaign in respectable fashion, losing just three of their last seven games. Lowe played a key role in their end-of-season uptick, bringing experience, leadership and excellence to Wednesday’s back-three.
Originally signed to play on the left of a back-four, Lowe has spent much of his Wednesday career on the left of a back-three. His ball-playing credentials make him a suitable fit for that particular role. His versatility is one of several traits that make him an attractive option for clubs this summer.
Helping Wednesday earn a fully deserved clean sheet against Coventry City last month and playing an important role in the final day victory over West Bromwich Albion last weekend, Lowe, in the eyes of just about everyone, is too good to be playing in League One next season, meaning nobody could begrudge him a move to a Championship club.
However, Lowe is understood to be receptive to the prospect of staying at Hillsborough, meaning all is not yet lost in Wednesday’s hopes of retaining him. Convincing Lowe to stay and tying him down to a new deal would be another massive tick in the box for Arise.
They have made a positive start in S6, providing the soundbites Wednesdayites want to hear, but actions, just as David Storch has said himself, will speak louder than words.
Fending off Championship interest to keep Lowe for life in League One would be one of the biggest indicators yet that Wednesday’s new ownership group means business.