Sheffield Wednesday will once again be scouring the free agent market in the summer.
It’s inevitable that Sheffield Wednesday will be bargain hunting once again this summer.
There was a time when the Owls would spend £5million on the likes of Adam Reach, and £8million on Jordan Rhodes too.
Now though, up to 18 players will be leaving Hillsborough this summer; ahead of a potential return to League One which could really begin a plummet down the Football League under Dejphon Chansiri.
Di’Shon Bernard future at Sheffield Wednesday
One of those out of contract at Sheffield Wednesday this summer is Di’Shon Bernard.
The former Manchester United youngster joined on a free transfer last summer and has thoroughly impressed this season, featuring 30 times in the Championship.
As per Sofascore, Bernard has the seventh-highest average rating of any Sheffield Wednesday player this season, at 6.83.
His recent absence from the side has proved damaging for Danny Rohl, who in five games without Bernard has seen his side win once, keeping one clean sheet as well.
Rohl wants Bernard to stay at the club, but if Sheffield Wednesday are relegated then the 23-year-old Bernard is surely one who leaves S6, and he won’t be short of suitors either.
Sheffield Wednesday should re-sign former ‘fan favourite’ Michael Hector
Sheffield Wednesday will need to add some quality in defence next season.
The current centre-backs under contract beyond this summer are Bambo Diaby and Michael Ihiekwe, and although that might be a decent partnership in League One, the Owls would need more whether they stay up or not.
And one name who could be a good option for Sheffield Wednesday in whatever outcome this season is Michael Hector.
The Jamaican international spent time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday from Chelsea during the 2018/19 season, where he featured 37 times in the Championship and scooping the club’s Player of the Season award.
He was described as a ‘fan favourite’ during his time in S6 and he shares a lot of similar traits to Bernard in that he’s the typical Rolls Royce-type defender who is mobile and good with the ball at his feet.
Like Bernard, Hector is also a dominant force in the air.
Currently at Charlton Athletic, the 31-year-old Hector sees his contract expire in the summer; per Sofascore, Hector boasts an average rating of 6.9 in League One this season, and he also leads the club for clearances per game this season (4.4).
Dejphon Chansiri and the summer ahead
Chansiri spent a small amount of money last summer, bringing in Anthony Musaba and Djeidi Gassama, both for fees reportedly around the £1million mark.
And the summer ahead may see Chansiri spend a bit; if Rohl stays then Chansiri will have to spend to keep Rohl content, and if several players leave then the wage bill will go right down, potentially opening up some room in the budget.
Still, the club has no real assets to sell right now.
Expect the club to continue shopping in the bargain bin, but often times Sheffield Wednesday have found some gems in there, and Hector could be another.
He’d bring a real leadership to the side, as well as depth and quality in the back-line.
Whether he’d fancy a return remains to be seen, but Rohl and Championship football would surely prove enticing.
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