It has been a busy start to the summer for Sheffield Wednesday after they secured survival in the Championship.
The Owls looked destined to make an immediate return to League One after a disastrous start to the season under Xisco Munoz, but they achieved safety after a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl as they finished 20th in the table.
| Championship standings 2023/24 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 17 | Stoke City | 46 | -11 | 56 |
| 18 | QPR | 46 | -11 | 56 |
| 19 | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | -14 | 53 |
| 20 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | -24 | 53 |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | -11 | 51 |
| 22 | Birmingham City (R) | 46 | -15 | 50 |
| 23 | Huddersfield Town (R) | 46 | -29 | 45 |
| 24 | Rotherham United (R) | 46 | -52 | 27 |
Wednesday received a huge boost as Rohl signed a new long-term contract at the club in May and the German has wasted no time in getting to work on rebuilding his squad.
The Owls have brought in seven new signings this summer, with James Beadle, Ben Hamer, Max Lowe, Yan Valery, Svante Ingelsson, Olaf Kobacki, and Jamal Lowe arriving at Hillsborough, and there are likely to be plenty more to come.
Liam Palmer, Dominic Iorfa, Barry Bannan and Josh Windass have all signed new contracts with Wednesday, but Cameron Dawson and Will Vaulks turned down the offer of an extension to join Rotherham United and Oxford United respectively, while Ciaran Brennan, Reece James, George Byers, Tyreeq Bakinson, Juan Delgado and Lee Gregory have been released.
With the transfer window open for business, speculation is continuing to gather pace, and we rounded up all the latest Owls news.
Owls set to sign ex-Man Utd man
It was first reported by Manchester World earlier this month that Wednesday were set to win the race for former Manchester United striker Charlie McNeill, and it appears they are moving closer to completing a deal.
McNeill was released by the Red Devils this summer after four years at Old Trafford, and according to The Star, he is expected to have a medical with the Owls in the coming days.
Lazio, Torino, LA Galaxy, and Toronto were all said to be keen on McNeill, but the 20-year-old believes that working with Rohl “will help with his long-term development”, and he could join up with his new Wednesday team-mates at their training camp at St George’s Park later this week.
McNeill may not be the only imminent arrival at Hillsborough as, according to Football Insider, Wednesday have offered a contract to Rangers winger Scott Wright.
Rangers will reportedly demand a six-figure fee for Wright, who has one year left on his contract at Ibrox, and while the Owls have taken action in their pursuit of the 26-year-old, they face competition from “several League One and Championship clubs”.
Wright has scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in 117 games for the Gers since joining the club from Aberdeen in February 2021, including netting four goals in 33 appearances last season.
Rohl was asked about the potential signing of Wright after his side’s 2-0 pre-season friendly win at Alfreton Town on Saturday, but he refused to comment on the rumours.
“Next, we still have some decisions going on, we know this,” Rohl told The Star.
“It was a good start to pre-season and now we find hopefully the next players.
“I will not speak about names, it makes no sense because this market goes so quick. We have an idea of what we want to have, I have an idea of how we want to play in the new season and we know what we have to improve. Then it’s about the right pieces to make our squad stronger because we are very ambitious for the new season.
“I think we have to do more, how much you will see.”
McNeill may not be the only imminent arrival at Hillsborough as, according to Football Insider, Wednesday have offered a contract to Rangers winger Scott Wright.
Rangers will reportedly demand a six-figure fee for Wright, who has one year left on his contract at Ibrox, and while the Owls have taken action in their pursuit of the 26-year-old, they face competition from “several League One and Championship clubs”.
Wright has scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in 117 games for the Gers since joining the club from Aberdeen in February 2021, including netting four goals in 33 appearances last season.
Rohl was asked about the potential signing of Wright after his side’s 2-0 pre-season friendly win at Alfreton Town on Saturday, but he refused to comment on the rumours.
“Next, we still have some decisions going on, we know this,” Rohl told The Star.
“It was a good start to pre-season and now we find hopefully the next players.
“I will not speak about names, it makes no sense because this market goes so quick. We have an idea of what we want to have, I have an idea of how we want to play in the new season and we know what we have to improve. Then it’s about the right pieces to make our squad stronger because we are very ambitious for the new season.
“I think we have to do more, how much you will see.”
