Why Henrik Pedersen does not think he will have to 'sell' Sheffield Wednesday to transfer targets
Wednesday’s support is likely to be a big ‘pull’ in helping to attract new players this summer
Owls boss Henrik Pedersen does not think he will have to ‘sell’ Sheffield Wednesday to transfer targets this summer.
A huge rebuild is needed during the off-season - both on and off the pitch - as the club tries to recover from the damage caused by being put into administration.
Pedersen and his coaching staff have been preparing the best they can despite the many unknowns that lie ahead. The Dane has been watching lots of League One matches, analysing data from that division from the last five years and talking to contacts at that level as he aims to do as much as research as possible on a league he has not managed in before.
It would be understandable if potential signings seek clarity and assurances about the ongoing situation at the club, but Pedersen believes the backing of the fans and the level of support they give will mean he does not have to do too much persuading because individuals will know that that they want to join right from the beginning of the process.
He told The Star: “I don’t think I need to sell it, because I know all the players know it and they have felt that if they have played here. So it's one of the basics before we are sitting down that they know they will come to Sheffield Wednesday because it's a big club and we have our fans. We have a lot to be proud of and then we have a lot to rebuild.”
The fact that this Saturday’s game is heading for a Hillsborough sell-out despite Wednesday having only won one out of 45 in the Championship and have not won at home in the league for more than a year just shows how much the fans are craving success.
From the protest at Leicester City on the opening day to fancy dress at Oxford United, Pedersen the relationship from those in the stands to those on the pitch has ‘developed’ in what has been an extremely testing season for everyone.
On the support this season, Pedersen added: “It's grown since the first day in the season. There has been a crazy journey between the players, staff, coaches and the fans and how it has developed through the season, how close we all have been together. There have been a lot of not good things, but this relation, this love, this respect, this has been fantastic and this is a fantastic fundamental for the future that we have one team, one club, we are one group.”