What Sheffield Wednesday are looking for in free agent market - likelihood of signing discussed
The omission of Ben Hamer from Sheffield Wednesday’s EFL squad list has left open the possibility of a free agent addition at Hillsborough.
The Owls closed the January transfer window with 25 senior players - the maximum number allowed to be registered for Championship football as per EFL rules. Experienced third-choice goalkeeper Hamer was left off the list, as were injured defensive pair Akin Famewo and Dominic Iorfa.
As was evidenced in a similar situation last season, any of the three can be registered at a later date and it is expected Famewo and Iorfa will be registered down the line should nothing sinister occur in their continuing rehabilitation from injury. Hamer’s situation is less clear and his space in the squad could in theory allow the Owls to add a free agent to their squad after a season-ending injury to Di’Shon Bernard left them further stretched at the back.
Explaining Hamer’s omission from the squad list, Wednesday boss Danny Röhl made clear the 37-year-old remains on board at S6 and will be added to the list should anything happen to the club’s goalkeeping department - and spoke candidly on the chances of the Owls finding a suitable free agent candidate.
“We have a number one and a number two,” Röhl told The Star. “If something happens, he (Hamer) is straight back on the list. The market is normally closed but if something is out there in the (free agent) market then let's think about this. But it is not an easy topic. In March we must submit the final list and so it gives us an opportunity, but it is not a big, big opportunity. We do not expect or demand too much now, we try to do our homework. If we have the feeling something makes sense then we will do it, if not we can be OK.”
Throughout the winter window Röhl discussed a policy of only considering new additions that would enhance his line-up, citing a desire to retain the squad’s spirit as a guiding factor in that decision. Injury to Bernard has softened that thinking, he admitted. But the search for a player capable of stepping in close to full fitness is a difficult one. Famewo and Iorfa are hoped to be back in contention sometime after the March international break.
“We look of course at what opportunities are there in the market, what could be and what is not,” he said. “When was their last game? How long does he need? It is all these things. But let's see. The injury to Dish is a new situation and it is not just about bringing impact players, maybe it is about impact and a body to cover one position more and what we need.”