Transfers, Ike Ugbo and the documentary - Your Sheffield Wednesday questions answered
It’s a busy time at Sheffield Wednesday - with a lot of news topics to cover.
A few days before the big Eurotrip, a few weeks before the season starts and amid the busiest Summer transfer window in Sheffield Wednesday’s history, there’s a fair bit going on and it’s not all that easy to keep up.
Earlier this week we asked you to pose your questions to our lead Owls correspondent Alex Miller on whatever you fancied. Here’s his crack at answering a few.
How many more incomings do you expect and which positions do you feel are a priority?
The number that has been most commonly bandied in conversations I’ve had is 20 - though that’s of course a nice, round figure and you’d think there’d be a bit of under/over in that - I doubt it’s anything remotely set in stone. It’s a big old number of new faces and given a fairly common rule of thumb is to suggest a club has done well to make a success of half their signings, this is where my personal disconnect is with the idea that Wednesday are primed for a title shot. But we’ll see what happens in the coming weeks.
In terms of priorities, you can still see areas across the pitch that need work. A lot of where Wednesday can be expected to sit this season will come with what they can do up top. Harry Gray is a signing that could be more exciting than some people realise, I think, but he’s a young lad and can play a few different positions. There’s every expectation that a big and strong number nine type is a priority - but that’s the case for just about every EFL side. Maybe just watch this space on the formulation of interest in Colby Bishop, who is one of the players they’re keeping tabs on.
They’re after another goalkeeper and word on the whisper is that they’re narrowing down the search on that front - though name/s are hard to come by at the minute. There’s a lot yet still to do and the good thing is that they’ve got a lot of their base work done early.
What's your understanding of the Ugbo situation currently?
As we reported last week, the understanding is that Ike has been training out of their secondary Bawtry Road base, mainly from an individual training programme. All parties are now accepting that finding a deal to move him on is the best thing for everyone, but that might not be a simple manoeuvre given his wages and how things have panned out in the last couple of years.
He came close to doing so in January, however, and would have signed for Bolton on loan had they not secured a late deal for Johnny Kenny. Given what he is capable of and the position he plays, you’d think there would be a club or two out there that would fancy taking a chance - the trick will be to strike some sort of deal that eases Wednesday’s financial commitment. He’s under contract until the summer of 2028 and as of last understanding they still owed around £2m for his transfer. It’s been a shocking turn of events for everyone involved.
Though it was inevitable, do you think Wednesday got a good deal for Pierce Charles?
I don’t know the finite workings of the deal and what bonuses will be paid when, but working from the basis Wednesday get at least £5m for him, it seems to me to be a pretty steady deal for a player in the final year of his contract. The added boost Pierce’s sale offers is that to my understanding, the parameters placed on the Owls at current mean any sales can be reinvested in the squad. A £3m up-front payment gives them more ocean to swim in.
He’s a top, top player and like everyone else I can see him going right to the top as a Premier League goalkeeper. His skillset is tailor-made for the elite level and his personality is very relaxed and confident. I remember the first time I saw him on a pre-season trip to Portugal in 2022. He’d been brought along to learn from David Stockdale and Cameron Dawson and the seniors were all buzzing about this young lad and how good he was. I watched a few minutes of him doing some long-range kicking drills with Stocko and the big fella never had to move.
Can we expect anymore signings before everyone leaves for Hungary? And if anyone does sign whilst Wednesday are out there, will the new player(s) go out to join their new teammates?
Billy Mitchell is one that could get done before the plane takes off. I won’t pretend to know a great deal about him, though every report appears to be encouraging and that he’s a slice of what Wednesday need; a gritty, rampant holding midfielder. Great age, too. Colleagues in London are shocked at the prospect of him moving to League One.
Aside from him - and unless they’ve managed to slip one or two past us - I’m not aware of anything as close or close enough to get them on the plane on Sunday, but things move fast and you never know. It would certainly be ideal to have new faces on a trip like that, but I’m expecting Wednesday’s business to roll right up to the buzzer as the market develops and loan opportunities open up.
Should anyone join next week, there’s every chance they get flown out for involvement in Europe. If The Star’s expenses account can stretch to sending me out, you’d like to think Wednesday’s can do the same!
Can you envisage this documentary getting picked up by someone?
All this is at a very early stage and the understanding is that there’s nothing concrete on where it could go and how big it could be. I wouldn’t get carried away with the idea of a big, glitzy Netflix epic - though you never know. As we reported, there are some serious, award-winning people involved in the project that know what they’re doing and know the industry. But at the minute it’s just an explorative project.
What I would say is that a chat or two with some pals in that side of the media industry would suggest it’s a tough nut to crack and that a lot of that market has already been ventured. The Wednesday story is - potentially - something a bit special, mind. If it wasn’t to be picked up, I gather there’s every chance the club runs with it themselves in some form. It’s all very early days, all a bit experimental and a case of wait and see.
What they really need is a handsome, knowledgeable and charismatic local media man to give it all a sprinkling of sex appeal.
What's happening with the academy?
This is a topic I’m working on for a piece or two, probably the other side of our Eurotrip. As we have it, the u18s and u21s are operating mainly out of the Bawtry Road site with the club having come to an agreement with Sheffield Hallam University. This is a short-term measure for the time being and allows for the pitches at Middlewood Road to be used more sparingly.
It also allows for those academy sides to train on grass more often - they spent too much time on artificial facilities and in the dome in seasons gone by. I remember speaking to one academy goalkeeper a few years ago who talked me through his bruises from a week diving about. When he went on loan into the non-league he trained on grass and got more out of it!
We’ll try to narrow down some detail on where things are at with the academy in the next few weeks. There’s a lot to be done there, too.
What’s your go to meal deal?
I’m a hardened ‘hoi sin duck wrap’ loyalist, though on an early trip to who-knows-where I can be tempted by an ‘all day breakfast’ sandwich at a train station Sainsbury’s. The ketchup they use against the white bread almost has a salsa tang to it and needs better PR.
Again, dependent on the time of purchase I’d usually go for an iced coffee or a smoothie for my drink. In need of a sugar hit I’m an fizzy orange Lucozade kinda cat. My absolute preference for a journey is water, but you can’t beat the system on Evian alone so often I’ll buy that separately. Side dish? Salt and vinegar Walkers. Every time.