Sheffield Wednesday's opening day opponents sign former Sheffield United defender
SWFC start the new season at Leyton Orient on Saturday
The Owls’ opening day opponents have signed a former Blade, with Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder giving him a glowing reference.
Sheffield Wednesday’s 2026/2027 League One campaign starts on Saturday away at Leyton Orient, who narrowly missed out on promotion to the Championship two years ago, but struggled last season.
Both sides go into the weekend boosted by wins in the Carabao Cup, Wednesday beating Bolton 1-0, while Orient overcame Oxford United 2-0 at Brisbane Road.
Wednesday have made 13 summer signings and many of them are likely to start in the capital, while Orient have also been busy, freshening up their squad.
Orient’s latest addition is former Sheffield United defender, Alfie Gilchrist. The right-back, 22, made 30 Championship appearances for the Blades in the 2024/2025 season, after joining on loan from Chelsea. Gilchrist joined West Brom a year ago on a permanent deal, making 15 outings, but has now been loaned out to Orient.
He said: “I’m really excited to get going. When I was younger, I came to watch some matches here and I know it is going to be a good place for me. The gaffer gave me a great first impression of the club and after that I wanted to get everything done as quickly as possible. I will give my all on the pitch every day; I have captained a lot of the academy teams I played in at Chelsea and I want to bring that leadership into men’s football here.”
Orient manager, Richie Wellens, revealed that Blades boss Wilder only had good things to say about him. He added: “Alfie is someone that will allow us to press; he is on the front-foot, has good pace, is aggressive and wants to win first contacts on the ball. He is a different type of defender to what we have got and we want him to use his determination, character and leadership skills to help bring our group forwards.
“We have spoken to Chris Wilder about him and he spoke very highly of Alfie; both in terms of his defensive attributes and the way he conducts himself and as a character. I think he will be a really good signing.”