Sheffield Wednesday can target World Cup windfall to assist with League One rebuild
Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping Yan Valery can make his mark at this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is now officially just one week away.
Football’s showpiece event will get under way at the Estadio Azteca next Thursday evening as joint hosts Mexico take on South Africa in what will be a repeat of the opening game of the 2010 World Cup.
A little over 72 hours later the time will come for Sheffield Wednesday defender Yan Valery to make his World Cup bow after being included in Tunisia’s 26-man squad. The 27-year-old, who spent the second half of this season on loan at Swiss club BSC Young Boys, is expected to be Tunisia’s starting right-back at the tournament.
The North African outfit will be competing at what will be their seventh World Cup and their third in succession. They will compete in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden. They are scheduled to face Sweden in their opening game at 3am BST on Monday, June 15.
Unlike in 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018 and 2022, Tunisia will be hoping to avoid falling at the first hurdle and make it into the knockout stages for the very first time in their history. An expanded tournament, featuring 48 nations this time around, gives them a greater chance of making it past the first round - a challenge boss Sabri Lamouchi, formerly of Cardiff City and Nottingham Forest, is keen to achieve.
He said: “I don’t think Tunisia won a single game at the 2006 World Cup. In 2018, we won one match. And in 2022, we won one match.
“We drew with Denmark and we beat France, but those four points were not enough to qualify. This time, under the new format, four points might be enough to qualify.
“We have to fight for those points again, against Sweden in the first match, against the best team in Asia, Japan, and of course, the great side of the Netherlands, who need no introduction.”
Having made it into Lamouchi’s final 26-man squad, Valery will be the first Wednesday player to appear at the World Cup since John Sheridan featured for the Republic of Ireland back in 1994. Valery has a year left on his Wednesday contract.
However, as already reported by The Star, the expectation is the former Southampton man will move on this summer following the Owls’ relegation to League One. Most people will agree that his level is higher than England’s third tier.
Having spent time in the Premier League previously, the Tunisian is expected to attract a fair amount of attention this summer, meaning offers are guaranteed. Wednesday do not have the option to trigger an extension in Valery’s contract to keep him at Hillsborough beyond the summer of 2027, meaning it would make good business sense to cash-in this summer and avoid the prospect of losing him for free further down the line.
With one year left on his current deal, prospective buyers will take that into consideration when submitting offers. Nevertheless, Wednesday need to generate money via player sales - something they did not do anywhere near enough under the previous regime.
Player sales are likely to prove important for Wednesday’s rebuilding project this summer amid the understanding that money generated from player sales can be reinvested into the squad. A business plan laid out by the English Football League will see the club under a spending cap of sorts, but player sales will allow for a little bit more freedom in the quest to rebuild Henrik Pedersen’s squad.
Although Wednesday are unlikely to bank a game-changing fee for Valery amid his contract situation and their status as a League One club, a strong World Cup campaign from the Tunisian could increase his price tag by some degree and potentially spark a bidding war if several suitors come knocking.
After facing Sweden in their World Cup opener, Tunisia will take on Japan on June 20 before concluding their Group F schedule against the Netherlands on June 25. Currently ranked 44th in the FIFA rankings, there is no doubt Tunisia are the outsiders to progress to the knockout stages from what, certainly on paper, looks like a tricky group to call.
However, the beauty of the World Cup is that anything is possible, meaning Wednesday will be eager to see Tunisia and Valery go as far as possible in the competition in the hope that his individual showings will increase both interest levels and his price tag.
After all, it is not uncommon for clubs to go chasing after players on the back of an impressive crop of performances at a major tournament.