Sheffield Wednesday: If nothing happens, these 5 players are going to leave Hillsborough
It has been a season of progress for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, but there is significant uncertainty hanging over the club heading into the summer.
After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Wednesday have emerged as surprise play-off contenders this campaign under Danny Rohl, but it looks as though they may fall just short of a top six place.
Owls supporters should be going into the summer full of optimism that their side can continue to climb the table under Rohl next season, but Southampton have reportedly identified the German as their top target to replace Ivan Juric in the summer, and he is widely expected to make a return to St Mary’s, where he previously served as assistant to Ralph Hasenhuttl.
In addition to the fears over Rohl’s future, discontent towards owner Dejphon Chansiri is building once again after he failed to pay the players’ March wages on time, citing cashflow problems as the reason behind the delay, and that has raised question marks over the club’s long-term financial sustainability.
With a number of players coming to the end of their contracts, whoever is in charge of Wednesday this summer is likely to be facing a big rebuilding job, and we looked at who will be leaving the club as things stand and whether they should be kept or offloaded.
Pol Valentin – Keep
Defender Pol Valentin joined Wednesday from Spanish side Sporting Gijon in the summer of 2023, and he endured a nightmare start to his time at Hillsborough as he struggled to adapt to the Championship.
However, Valentin was arguably the Owls’ most-improved player over the course of last season, and he ended up playing a crucial role in the club’s survival, making 40 appearances in all competitions.
Despite his place coming under threat following the arrival of Yan Valery in the summer, Valentin has continued to feature regularly for Wednesday this season, although he has perhaps not made as many starts as he would have liked in recent months.
After Maccabi Tel Aviv had a bid rejected for Valentin in September, it was claimed that the Owls were keen to reach an agreement with the 28-year-old over a new contract, and he has certainly done enough to earn an extension.
Akin Famewo – Keep
Akin Famewo made the move to Wednesday from Norwich City in the summer of 2022, and while he has not always been a regular starter during his time at Hillsborough, Rohl is known to be a big admirer of the defender.
After establishing himself in the team, Famewo produced his best form in an Owls shirt at the start of this season before sustaining a muscle injury in late October that ruled him out for over five months.
Famewo recently made his return from injury, and he will be hoping to impress over the coming weeks in order to secure a new contract, but a decision on his future already looks to have been made, with Wednesday believed to be keen to tie him down to an extension.
The 26-year-old’s injury seems to have put those expected contract talks on hold, but now he is back to full fitness, the Owls should do everything possible to keep him in South Yorkshire.
Marvin Johnson – Release
Winger Marvin Johnson joined Wednesday on a free transfer from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2021, and he will go down as one of the club’s best bargains of recent years.
Johnson played a crucial role as the Owls won promotion from League One via the play-offs in the 2022-23 season, but he was surprisingly frozen out by former manager Xisco Munoz last summer, much to the frustration of supporters.
The 34-year-old was immediately brought back into the fold by Rohl after he took over at Hillsborough, and he scored four goals and provided four assists in 30 appearances to help keep Wednesday in the Championship last season.
However, Johnson has not quite been able to make the same attacking impact this season, and his defending has occasionally come in for criticism, so while it will be a tough decision to release him, it may be time for him to move on this summer.
