'Couldn't have been better' - new signing hails Sheffield Wednesday spirit and makes pre-season admission
Positivity is flowing at Sheffield Wednesday as the club’s pre-season preparations continue out in Hungary.
Summer signing Callum Slattery has hailed the collective spirit within the Sheffield Wednesday camp as the countdown to the start of the new season continues.
The Owls, who are in discussions with Aston Villa to sign attacking-midfielder Tommi O’Reilly, are currently in Hungary being put through their paces ahead of their season opener - a Carabao Cup first round clash against Bolton Wanderers at Hillsborough - in just over a fortnight’s time.
Compared with this time last year, the mood could not be more contrasting. Wednesday are enjoying a proper pre-season campaign this time around, with the positive atmosphere also boosted by the addition of nine new signings so far this summer.
The Owls are working flat out in their quest to strengthen manager Henrik Pedersen’s squad, and it is not unrealistic to suggest another ten players could be drafted in before the transfer window closes at 11pm on September 1.
Slattery was one of Wednesday’s first signings of the summer, arriving on a free transfer earlier this month after leaving Motherwell, and he has been impressed by the way he and his fellow new arrivals have been welcomed into the group.
“I’m one of the new lads but the staff and everyone in the squad couldn’t have been better,” Slattery told the Owls’ website. “There’s a really good group – the lads who were here last season, the new signings and the younger lads.
“Everyone is getting along great, you can see it's going to be a strong group and that’s what you need for a long season ahead.”
Following last Saturday's 3-2 victory over Preston North End at their Euxton training ground, the Owls travelled to Hungary on Sunday for their second pre-season training camp. They will leave the outskirts of Budapest at the end of this week before crossing the border into Austria, where they will face Stoke City in a friendly on Saturday afternoon.
Reflecting on how pre-season has unfolded so far, the former Southampton youngster continued: “It’s been a really good week – intense, hot and getting plenty of minutes in the legs. It’s exactly what you’re after in pre-season.
“We’re also going through the tactical side of the game and exactly what the manager wants, there’s a lot of emphasis on that. So we’ve had a really good mix, which has been good.
“The longer pre-season goes, the fitness build really quickly and we can feel the difference between now and St George’s.”