Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen has already highlighted the importance of timely Yan Valery boost
Sheffield Wednesday are set to welcome Yan Valery back into the equation for Saturday’s Championship clash with Portsmouth.
Sheffield Wednesday and good news have rarely mixed this season.
Following a disastrous summer that saw wages go unpaid, pre-season plans destroyed and the first-team squad butchered, Wednesday are now experiencing one of the worst injury debacles the club has had to deal with in recent years.
Goalkeeper Pierce Charles became the latest victim of the club’s injury curse against Brentford in the FA Cup last weekend, being forced off with a shoulder injury. Wednesday are yet to confirm the extent of the damage, but his reaction as he trudged off the pitch did not paint a promising picture.
With almost every game and every week the source of another injury problem, Wednesdayites were left celebrating a small victory on Wednesday afternoon when the club confirmed Yan Valery was back in training at Middlewood Road after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON].
Back with us at Middlewood Road 🙌 pic.twitter.com/BhdxNEoUz1
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) January 14, 2026
Valery was included in the Tunisia squad for the showpiece event and started each of their four games at the tournament prior to their exit at the hands of Mali at the round-of-16 stage almost a fortnight ago. Tunisia were knocked out of the competition on penalties after the game had finished 1-1 after extra-time.
Valery was taken off in extra-time, sparking concerns he had suffered an injury, but manager Henrik Pedersen, following the defeat to Brentford, played down such fears when he revealed he expects him to be in contention for this Saturday’s Championship clash with Portsmouth.
Pedersen told The Star: “He had some days off [after coming back from the AFCON]. He has been the player with the fewest days off since July 1.
"If we want to have a fresh Yan Valery for the rest of the season, he should have some rest now because it was a tough, tough programme for him, and he will be fresh again when he comes back this week."
Asked if he could be involved this weekend, Pedersen added: "I hope so, yes."
Confirmation of him being back in training at Middlewood Road suggests he will, indeed, be available for this weekend’s clash with Pompey, offering Wednesday and Pedersen a much-needed boost. He missed a total of seven games during his absence, last featuring for the Owls when they faced Watford at Vicarage Road on December 9.
With Wednesday’s resources having become even more limited since their trip to Hertfordshire just over five weeks ago, particularly at centre-back, Valery’s return to S6 has come as a timely boost.
The Owls lost Dominic Iorfa to a groin issue ahead of the clash with Brentford, meaning he has joined fellow centre-backs Max Lowe, Liam Cooper, Di’Shon Bernard and Ernie Weaver in the treatment room.
With Wednesday’s squad having been decimated during the summer, Pedersen has had to rely on his players to play across as many positions as possible this term, and few have demonstrated their adaptability more than Valery. After starting the campaign at right wing-back, the former Southampton man established himself as a central-midfielder, developing a solid rapport alongside Barry Bannan.
Valery’s versatility key for Wednesday
He then had to drop in at centre-back when Wednesday were narrowly edged out by Preston North End at Hillsborough at the end of November, before returning to the fight flank against Watford prior to jetting off to the AFCON.
"Yan has to play No.6, right wing-back and right centre-back,” Pedersen said back in October. “They have to learn to play more positions, otherwise our squad is too small.”
With Wednesday’s squad becoming stretched even further since Valery’s last appearance, there is a very strong chance Valery might be tasked with slotting in at centre-back again amid the losses of Iorfa, Cooper and Lowe during his absence.
Gabriel Otegbayo, who will turn 21 next month, was Wednesday’s most senior centre-back against Brentford, starting in the middle of the back-three flanked either side by Joe Emery and Cole McGhee. The latter has started two of Wednesday’s last three league games, meaning he is likely to bag another start against Portsmouth, offering Wednesday a left-footed presence on the left of their defence.
Valery, Pedersen revealed, stuck his hand up and offered his services to play at right-sided centre-back against Preston, suggesting his route back into the team could be via that berth.
“We put Yan down [to centre-back],” Pedersen said after the home defeat to North End. “He said, ‘Okay, I play No.6 now for a long time, but I will take this one and play the best I can at right centre-back as possible’.”
With Sean Fusire returning from AFCON recently and starting each of the last two games at right wing-back, and Jarvis Thornton recently nailing down a midfield spot next to Bannan, the right-sided centre-back spot could be where Valery is instructed to make his Owls comeback from.
His versatile profile means he can easily slot into the back-three and offer Wednesday some much-needed experience at the back. He has been one of the Owls’ best players this season, and his return could not have arrived at a better juncture.