Former Sheffield Wednesday youngster responds after being publicly humiliated by Josh Windass

Sheffield Wednesday forward Josh Windass publicly humiliated former teammate Joey Phuthi, and now the youngster has responded.

Sheffield Wednesday have a lot of issues to fix in the summer transfer window. The biggest problem is resolving Danny Rohl’s future, but some players could leave the club.

Josh Windass, who scored 13 goals and supplied four assists in the Championship last term, is one star destined to exit Hillsborough.

Windass has been linked with a move to Valencia, although he played down that rumour of potentially working under Carlos Corberan on a podcast appearance.

It wasn’t just his future that was discussed on there, as the Englishman also called out one of his former teammates.

• READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday fans all say the same thing about Sam Hutchinson after incredible AFC Wimbledon recovery

Joey Phuthi responds after being publicly humiliated by Josh Windass

Youngster Joey Phuthi was recently released from his contract at Sheffield Wednesday, which was undoubtedly a tough pill to swallow for the 20-year-old.

But during a difficult time for the defender, his former teammate Windass made his life even worse by calling him ‘p___’ after Phuthi once compared himself to Lionel Messi.

Speaking on the Open Goal podcast, Windass said: “I was speaking to him in the canteen at football and one of our coaches said to me, ‘have a word with Joey, he never runs more than 9k in a game ever’.

“So I was speaking to him and I was like, ‘how much do you run in a game’ and he said ‘9km – Messi don’t run’.

“A kid at 17, I didn’t say anything to him but I was thinking, ‘you’re the worst player ever and you’re talking about Messi – run around.”

Windass didn’t just publicly throw one of his ex-teammates under the bus, but he also exposed information that didn’t need to be told.

Phuthi has since issued a long statement on X, clarifying that the conversation was completely flipped out of context and explains how difficult it’s been for him since being released.

• READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday takeover plans reveal ‘top five’ ambitions amid ‘active interest’ from Saudi Arabia

Windass surely leaving Sheffield Wednesday

Although Windass is a top footballer, he’s shown his true colours in that moment by calling someone out and revealing a conversation that was supposed to be private.

At a point when there’s uncertainty about the future of the football club amid talks of a Sheffield Wednesday takeover from the mega-rich Walton family, and Rohl also taking time to decide his future, this is the last thing the Owls need.

Ultimately, Windass hasn’t acted professionally in the situation, and his current teammates won’t appreciate him throwing a player under the bus.

So, with interest mounting in the Englishman and a rift created in the dressing room, it’s best if the former Rangers man is moved on this summer.

Sheffield Wednesday takeover plans reveal ‘top five’ ambitions amid ‘active interest’ from Saudi Arabia

Sheffield Wednesday are set for a turbulent summer, one way or another, but EFL Analysis can exclusively reveal that the dream of a transformative takeover has a very good chance of becoming a reality in the near future, and there are big plans for the club.

On the pitch this season, the Owls struggled for consistency, and it cost them in their outlandish pursuit of a Championship play-off place.

Still, a 12th-placed finish is seen as steady progress for a club that only narrowly avoided relegation in 2023/24, and it’s safe to say Danny Rohl has now built strong foundations for the team moving forward.

The problem is, off the pitch, the club faces an uncertain future. Rohl has made it quite clear he wants to leave, and fans are disillusioned with the current ownership under Dejphon Chansiri, with financial issues and questionable communication causing animosity.

That could all change quite dramatically, though, and it could happen this summer. We know the Walton family are interested in the club, and now, EFL Analysis can exclusively reveal another party is eyeing up a takeover for Sheffield Wednesday.

• READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday’s five most expensive signings ever amid billionaire takeover rumours

Saudi Arabia interest emerges for Sheffield Wednesday, there are big plans

Thanks to information from our Chief Football Correspondent, Graeme Bailey, we can reveal that there is more than one avenue Sheffield Wednesday could go down when it comes to arranging a takeover, with the club seen as one of the best prospects in English football today.

Bailey said: “Sheffield Wednesday are generating an awful lot of interest, with interested parties from America and also from Saudi Arabia as the main two.

“Sheffield Wednesday are seen as such a huge club. There’s not many of these diamonds in the rough in English football anymore. We’ve seen the likes of Newcastle have been snapped up. But the ceiling of Sheffield Wednesday, as we know, is potentially, in the top five clubs in England.

“That’s the attraction of Sheffield Wednesday and I’m told there are a lot of people doing work on it. There’s active interest in the club, but as we know with these takeovers it’s not straightforward at all. But, I think it’s fair to say this time next year, Sheffield Wednesday will be under new ownership.”

As for what any potential takeover would entail, Owls fans can look forward to the prospect of upgraded facilities and quite possibly even a new stadium as suitors aim to get the club back where it belongs, with the necessary surroundings to match those Premier League ambitions.

Bailey added: “Obviously, they’d assess the need for a new training ground and a new stadium. They would need to do the assessment of Hillsborough just like Newcastle are doing now. A new training ground is definitely part of the process, and then a new stadium.

“Not to say there’s anything wrong with Hillsborough, it’s just they think they can go bigger. And can you actually make Hillsborough bigger? To a certain degree it’s hemmed in by the river on one side. In that part of Sheffield, there’s places to go; I’m sure there are a few options for them on that side of the city.”

• READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday fans all say the same thing about Sam Hutchinson after incredible AFC Wimbledon recovery

How Sheffield Wednesday’s summer could play out

If you asked Sheffield Wednesday fans a month ago, they’d have told you a dream summer for the Owls would be for Chansiri to step aside and Danny Rohl to stay.

But, with Rohl and the club at a standstill right now, fans have started to sour on the German, claiming Rohl has ‘burned his bridges’ after so publicly seeking out other work.

There are other candidates who could replace Rohl, of course, and a takeover would surely lead to a stronger pool of applicants in that regard.

As for playing staff, Wednesday have already retained Barry Bannan, with the club legend sticking around for another year.

There’s also a chance another footballing legend lands in S6 this summer, with a dream move for Jamie Vardy still very much on the table. It’s said plenty of Premier League talent would jump at the chance to join Sheffield Wednesday if a takeover did go through this year.

Now, we have to wait and see what this complicated but very exciting process brings for the Owls. Hopefully, for the sake of the fans, something tangible comes to fruition very soon.