Sheffield Wednesday's double blow puts fresh focus on free agent transfer hunt

Owls boss Danny Röhl revealed after defeat at Leicester City on Tuesday evening that both Akin Famewo and loanee Kristian Pedersen are set to miss a period of 'weeks' out of action through injury, leaving his side short on numbers on the left side of defence having worked hard to bring Pedersen in from Swansea City during the January transfer window.

Senior names including Lee Gregory and Jeff Hendrick were left off the club's initial EFL squad registration list as Röhl sought to beef-up his options after a frustrating winter transfer window. This search was understood to have been focused centrally on midfield and particularly in the final third. But with the situation as it is on the left, Röhl admitted he and the club's recruitment staff are now on the lookout for free agent left-backs - though the search will not be an easy one.

"We are looking into the market, but the market is really special," he told The Star. "Maybe we will find someone, we will have to take a look at how long Kristian Pedersen is out, how long Akin Famewo is out. In this position now we have a new situation and now Marvin has to play. This is our situation.

"We are always looking in front. At a moment I am pushing the topic from my side, of course we are looking, Kevin (Beadell, head of recruitment) is looking through the free agents but my focus is on my team and who I have at the moment."

Popular lesser-seen left-back Reece James remains an option for the Owls, with Röhl claiming he still sees the former Doncaster Rovers man as an option. Though a near-constant on the bench, James has played only eight minutes of league football since the second week in November.

"You know the market at the moment," Röhl said. "We are looking, we always have open eyes but my players are here and it is my job to improve my players, bring them on one page and go again. We have 14 games to go. At Leicester you need to offer 90 minutes or more, it was not enough to do one half. It is our job to be better on Saturday."