Where Sheffield Wednesday’s 11 departees could end up next season…

Wednesday announced their retained list on Thursday afternoon, with a number of players on their way out of Hillsborough following varied careers at the club.

Several of Wednesday’s exiting players were being linked with other clubs well before it was confirmed that they would be leaving S6, and it’s unlikely that many of them will struggle to find themselves new clubs ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Here’s where things are at:

The ones we know

Wednesday’s first exit was confirmed months ago when it was announced that academy graduate, Liam Shaw, had agreed a precontract that would see him join Scottish giants, Celtic, at the end of the current campaign.

The Owls will reportedly pick up a figure of around £300,000 in compensation given the role they’ve played in his development, but have essentially lost him as a free agent.

At this point, the only other confirmed move of the exits is Dutch defender, Joost van Aken, who has penned a two-year deal with Zulte Waragem in the Belgian top-flight.

Van Aken had a tough time at Hillsborough as he struggled to recover from a Steel City Derby defeat to Sheffield United, and also struggled with injuries prior to his exit. He’s already left the country.

On Friday, Jordan Rhodes became the latest player to secure his next move, penning a three-year deal with his former club Huddersfield Town.

The links

Tom Lees is another player that has been linked with Huddersfield following his Hillsborough departure, however they’re unlikely to be the only Championship side keeping tabs on the experienced centre back as he recovers from the injury that he picked up towards the end of the season.

For Kadeem Harris, he doesn’t appear to be short of options. The speedy winger, who often played as a wingback towards the end of his career at Wednesday, has been linked with a whole host of clubs in recent months, with Middlesbrough, Stoke City and even Premier League Watford being mentioned in the media.

One player who could be set for a very interesting summer is £5m signing, Adam Reach, who will be moving on for a new challenge elsewhere. The likes of Bristol City, Cardiff, the Hornets and – most recently – Norwich City, have all been linked with the versatile former Boro man - another who probably won’t struggle to land a new club.

Elsewhere, Joey Pelupessy has been touted for a move back to the Netherlands mid interest from the Championship and Turkey, Matt Penney was reportedly a target for Swindon Town not long back, while Keiren Westwood was said to be the subject of offers prior to the start of the 2020/21 campaign.

Other departing players such as Elias Kachunga and Moses Odubajo are yet to be linked publicly with other clubs as they weigh up their options following their respective exits from the Owls, however will most definitely have made it onto the radar of clubs following the official announcement that they’ll be moving on.

Owls confirm talks as Urhoghide’s Wednesday future hangs in the balance

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