First brick of Danny Röhl's Sheffield Wednesday coaching staff removed with deal announced

Having not been present in the early stages of pre-season, the German coach has been the subject of protracted talks with the club over the terms of his release having made his feelings on the prospect of entering a second full season at Hillsborough known as far back as April.

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And earlier this week, amid the circling chaos of financial crisis, his expensively-assembled coaching staff effectively left the club as their Owls contracts came to an end. Henrik Pedersen, understood to be a likely potential option to replace Röhl as his exit talks enter their later stages, reported to the testing stage of Wednesday’s pre-season return.

And while it remains to be seen where the likes of Sascha Lense and Chris Powell end up, one Röhl backroom addition who has now sealed his next move is Sal Bibbo.

The well-liked goalkeeping coach, who has earned praise from Wednesday goalkeepers for his approach to both training and man-management, was reported to be of interest to Rangers by The Star some weeks ago. That deal has now been announced, with the former Arsenal man having been officially added to Russell Martin’s new-look coaching staff in Glasgow.

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Bibbo effectively replaces Gers legend Allan McGregor after the former Scotland international left along with temporary boss Barry Ferguson at the end of the season. He takes tutelage of a goalkeeping unit led by England international Jack Butland.

The appointment puts the first full stop on the dismantling of Röhl’s backroom staff as Wednesday head into what remains a difficult summer. The departure of the German coach is expected with discussions entering formative stages, The Star is led to believe, which it is hoped would accelerate the Owls’ pressing on with what comes next as they prepare to head to St George’s Park for a mini-training camp next week.

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