Sheffield Wednesday take second look at former Chelsea youngster - plan for trialists revealed
Henrik Pedersen has confirmed Sheffield Wednesday are taking a closer look at a former Chelsea hot shot who spent time training with the club late last month.
The Owls are on the search for suitable free agent options after a squad place was opened up by the departure of Tunisia international Yan Valery to Swiss side Young Boys. That deal was completed after the closure of the UK transfer window, limiting the options available to Wednesday to players who were out of contract when that deadline passed on February 1.
As previously reported by The Star, the market is proving a little tricky to navigate with few clear, standout options on the free agency list. Wednesday are willing to be relatively patient in their hunt in order to identify a candidate of the right profile both in terms of playing style and personality.
One such candidate could be former Chelsea and Bournemouth youngster Zain Silcott-Duberry, who was brought to Middlewood Road to train with the Owls ahead of deadline day. As revealed by The Star, the 20-year-old attacker, who was last contracted to Greek giants Olympiakos, has been invited back for Wednesday to take a second look as they peruse their options. Recruitment restrictions mean the club are broadly permitted only one new signing for now - though further additions can be attempted depending on their financial viability.
Pedersen said on Silcott-Duberry: “We have invited him yesterday, today and tomorrow and then we will make an evaluation on what could happen for the future. My information is that he is a free agent and we can sign him if we want.”
Wednesday last dipped into the free agent market in November with the double signing of former Premier League figures Liam Cooper and Nathan Redmond. Like Silcott-Duberry, both spent time training behind the scenes in an effort for all parties to consider their position - and also get up to speed with the requirements of stepping in to the squad. Duncan Watmore also spent time training at S6 but was passed-up and has since signed for Rotherham United.
Owls boss Pedersen maintained that while there are no plans already in place for the club to welcome further free agents into the fold as decisions are made on who to plump for - but hinted it could well be that further unattached players are spotted at Middlewood Road in the coming weeks.
He said: “Right now we don’t have any further plans to have anyone further in, but maybe in the future if they want to come now, we can invite them so that we have a better perspective. It would be good to see them live in our training rather than seeing video that is one or two or three months old. It is a good thing to invite them.”