Yan Valery conclusion appears settled as Sheffield Wednesday figure rules out repeat
Sheffield Wednesday undertook a busy summer transfer window.
Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen sees no repeat of the circumstances that led Yan Valery to leave the club beyond last January’s transfer window - and made clear his delight that the Tunisia international will stay on at Hillsborough.
The 27-year-old has been the subject of speculation over his future in recent weeks, with clubs understood to have taken an interest in him during summer that saw him play in the World Cup. Valery was one of a handful of star turns in the Owls’ gritty 2-1 win at Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night - an evening that also saw their manic summer transfer window close.
It is not exactly clear whether concrete bids were received for the former Southampton full-back, with Pedersen having suggested in the last weeks that he was unaware of clubs making any interest formal when it came to his senior players. Valery left the club after the closure of the winter transfer window and joined Swiss side BSC Young Boys, whose window closes later than that of the UK.
Pedersen offered no glimmer of suggestion that the same could come to pass this time around. A popular figure behind the scenes, Valery is in the final year of his Owls contract having signed a three-year deal when signing for Danny Röhl’s Owls in 2024. In the win at Adams Park he produced five successful dribbles - four more than any other player - while retaining a passing accuracy of 88 per cent and producing as many successful tackles (two) as anyone on the pitch.
“I am really happy that he's staying,” Pedersen told The Star following their win at Wycombe. “And now as we saw Saturday, as we saw today, he's a strong, strong player for us. He's very, very strong on the right side. He's a big asset for the team, so I'm really pleased that he will stay.
“We want to have as many good players together as possible so we can create the strongest team. And of course, to have Yan as a right-back is a big asset for us because he's a very, very, very strong League One player. So, of course, it's very, very important because he's strong.”