Sheffield Wednesday: 5 players who should already be on the club’s January transfer radar
Wednesday should be looking at bringing in this group of players
It has been anything but a dream start for Sheffield Wednesday on their return to the Championship.
The club was on a euphoric rollercoaster ride at the end of last season, pulling off one of the most memorable play-off
semi-final comebacks in history and winning in extra time in the playoff final against Barnsley at Wembley.
Finally, they escaped the tight grip of League One football and made it back to the second tier, but it’s not come with
much joy so far.
Three points from 11 games is all they’ve been able to amass, and those points didn’t come in victory. Here’s how the
current Championship table looks.
| Championship Table (As it stands w/c October 9th) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 17 | Blackburn Rovers | 11 | -4 | 13 |
| 18 | Plymouth Argyle | 11 | -1 | 11 |
| 19 | Huddersfield Town | 11 | -7 | 11 |
| 20 | Watford | 11 | -2 | 10 |
| 21 | Stoke City | 11 | -6 | 10 |
| 22 | QPR | 11 | -12 | 8 |
| 23 | Rotherham United | 11 | -12 | 6 |
| 24 | Sheffield Wednesday | 11 | -13 |
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Their recruitment in the summer wasn’t awe-inspiring, the team prior to that was going to need to really step up to
do well in the Championship, and they lost the manager who got them promotion before the season even started.
They faced said manager (Darren Moore) on Saturday, eking out a ‘bore draw’ against his new Huddersfield side, at home.
Everyone is of the consensus that fortunes are really going to have to turn for Wednesday. They’ll hope that replacing
Xisco Munoz will help to do that but it would be no surprise to see them busy in January as well.
With that in mind, FLW takes a look at five players that the club should be looking to recruit in the winter window to
give themselves the best chance of staying up.
Jonson Clarke-Harris
Wednesday have only scored five times in the league, through 11 league games. The 29-year-old almost has as many on his own.
He almost went back to Bristol Rovers late in the summer window for £800,000 plus add-ons, but Rovers didn’t file
the necessary paperwork in time to get the deal done. Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri’s statement saying that he
will not “inject more money,” into the club makes a purchase less likely. But they absolutely need a strong signing at
the top of the pitch.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi
A move like this would be more conservative, money-wise, but it’d be more of a risk on the pitch. He’s been used a bit
by parent club Crystal Palace this season, but there’s a chance that they’d be willing to let him go for the chance of
more game time.
The Peterborough striker is a proven goalscorer in the EFL, and there aren’t many more proven ways to stay up than
to have a solid, reliable goal threat.
He scored 15 goals for Charlton Athletic in League One, last season. He can be used across the frontline, so it’d give Wednesday more versatility up front.
Joe Hugill
If the Premier League loan market is where the Owls look to shop in January then Hugill could be a player they look to target.
The 19-year-old has an outstanding goalscoring record at age-group level for Manchester United and has been in
good form again this season.
The Old Trafford outfit will likely be keen to see him tested at senior level as well.
Josh Earl
Speaking of versatility, this guy brings it in abundance. He plays at left-back for Fleetwood Town, but he can also
play further up, on the left wing, or as a central defender, which would be very useful for the system that Wednesday use.
Fleetwood have been poor this year, but he’s been a standout player, averaging a 7.04 Sofascore match rating.
He can
also act as an attacking threat where needed.
Earl’s contract is up at the end of the season, so Town might be more receptive to an offer for him, rather than losing
him for free.
Marcus Rohdén
The Swedish attacking midfielder is in the top 5% of midfielders for non-penalty xG in the top 14 men’s leagues in the
world. He’s also in the top 5% of midfielders for progressive passes received and touches inside the 18-yard box.
The Swedish international can play centrally and on the wings so, again, would provide more creative options for the Owls.
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