Sheffield Wednesday weighing-up 'more than 60' transfer options with business expected
Sheffield Wednesday hope to add to their squad before next weekend’s home clash with Stoke City - and are working through a long list of potential options.
The Owls kicked off their Championship campaign at Leicester City on Sunday and were edged out late on by a side hoping to build an automatic promotion campaign. Wednesday’s bench was of huge inexperience and with skipper Barry Bannan facing a one-match suspension and both Nathaniel Chalobah and Yan Valery hobbling out of the clash injured, an already threadbare squad is looking further stretched.
Embargoes were lifted last week and while heavy restrictions remain on what business can be done, Wednesday have wasted little time in getting moving on targets. Recruitment staff at the club have been lining up lists of potential targets throughout the summer, with financial misdemeanours reducing their options to free agents and loans.
Pedersen spoke honestly about the need to bring players in and revealed that a recent recruitment meeting saw ‘over 60’ players put to him as the club surveyed their options. That pool will be shortened this week - with business very possible in the coming days.
Manchester United pair Harry Amass (pictured above) and Toby Collyer are understood to be likely options with talks ongoing over loan moves, while experienced free agent defenders Liam Cooper and Ben Mee are reported to be targets. Promotion hero Jack Hunt is with the club - but for now at least on a training brief.
Pedersen said: "We are working as hard as we can to bring new players and hopefully something can happen before the next game. We do all that we can to move things in the right direction on this level.”
He continued with a smile: "It will not be possible (the season) with such a small squad. That is why we are searching for new players, we need new players. But we do not just do it in hurry hurry, we need to do it with brains and patience. Of course we need new players because we cannot play in the Championship (with 15 senior players) with the 46 games.
"We need some guys very quickly, but we still need the right feeling when we sign with someone. We will see how well we can do this, to keep the patience and also hurry-up."