It was an excellent end to the season for Sheffield Wednesday as they secured survival in the Championship.
The Owls were promoted from League One last season after beating Barnsley in the play-off final at Wembley in May, and they had looked set to make an immediate return to the third tier.
Wednesday made their worst start to a season in their history, resulting in the sacking of Xisco Munoz in October, but performances and results improved significantly under Danny Rohl.
The Owls were one of the form sides in the division in the second half of the season, and they secured safety with a 2-0 win at Sunderland on the final day, finishing 20th in the table.
Keeping hold of the German is probably going to be one of Wednesday’s toughest difficulties this summer, considering the incredible work Rohl has done at Hillsborough, but there is still a lot of work to be done on the team, with 19 players having expired contracts.
We examined the Owls’ possible ideal start to the summer transfer window ahead of what appears to be a hectic few months for the team.
In: Tom Cannon
Journalist Alan Nixon claims that Wednesday had first expressed interest in striker Tom Cannon in January of last year, but he ultimately joined Preston North End on loan from Everton.
Wednesday expressed interest in Cannon once more in the summer after he moved permanently to Leicester City for a fee of £7.5 million. Cannon has eight goals and one assist in 21 appearances during his short stay at Deepdale.
Cannon didn’t make his Foxes debut until December due to an injury, but it appeared as though he was settling in after he scored three goals in two games against Millwall and Huddersfield Town in early January.
Cannon, though, found it difficult to push his way onto the squad.
Cannon’s lack of game time raises serious question marks over his long-term future at the King Power Stadium, and if he did not feature regularly in the Championship, it seems unlikely he will receive many minutes in the Premier League next season. If Cannon does become available, he will have no shortage of suitors in the second tier, and Preston and Blackburn Rovers are both said to be keen to sign him on loan this summer. Wednesday would likely only be able to afford a loan deal for Cannon, but he is the type of statement signing the Owls need to make this summer to convince Rohl to stay at the club, and he could be the prolific goalscorer that they desperately need.
Out: Michael Smith
Striker Michael Smith is one player who looks likely to depart Hillsborough this summer. Smith joined Wednesday from Rotherham United in June 2022, and he scored 20 goals and registered eight assists in 49 games in all competitions to help the Owls to promotion last season. However, Smith’s minutes became limited in the Championship, and according to BBC Derby Sport, Derby County made a loan offer for him in January, including a “significant wage contribution”, but Wednesday were said to be “demanding an excessive fee in return”. Smith remained at Hillsborough in January, and he was used by Rohl in the second half of the season, mainly featuring as a substitute or starting games in which the Owls took a more direct approach.
The 32-year-old is undoubtedly a useful option for Wednesday, but reinforcements in the forward areas are likely to be a priority for Rohl this summer, and given that Smith scored just four goals in 34 games this season, it would be no surprise to see him move on. Having won promotion from League One, Derby may now have the funds to be able to afford a deal for Smith, but if the Rams decide against a move, he should attract plenty of third tier interest.
