For the first time in a long time, it looks like Sheffield Wednesday under Dejphon Chansiri are making some positive off-field moves.
Following the conclusion of the 2023/24 season in which Sheffield Wednesday beat the drop under Danny Rohl, there’s been a lot of positive stories coming out of the club.
The Owls are already identifying transfer targets for the 2024/25 season and look set to get their first deal over the line soon, with Leeds United youngster Keenan Carole poised to join on a free transfer.
That’s accompanied by rumours of a new deal for Rohl who is currently under contract until the summer of 2025, as well as improvements to the Middlewood training ground.
So Chansiri looks to be making amends, very slowly, with Sheffield Wednesday fans following the torment and strife of the season just concluded.
And Rohl will be pleased to see positive changes being made. But one change, or rather shift in mentality from Chansiri and Wednesday earlier this year will have caught Rohl’s eye.
Sheffield Wednesday hand new deals to young stars
Earlier this year, there was a week where Sheffield Wednesday made decisions on several of their U21s players.
It was revealed that Adam Alimi-Adetoro and Luke Cook would be leaving, but Devlan Moses, Bruno Fernandes, Sam Reed, Joey Phuthi and Favour Onukwuli were all set to receive new or professional contracts with the club.
It indicated a clear shift towards a focus on youth development, and the seemingly imminent signing Carole from Leeds United also suggests a focus on youth recruitment as well.
Rohl spoke openly upon his arrival in S6 that he wanted to bridge the gap between the youth teams and the first-team at Sheffield Wednesday.
And he’s done that to as much of a degree as possible, with Bailey Cadamarteri coming into the first-team and becoming an important player for Sheffield Wednesday.
Is the tide turning for Dejphon Chansiri at Sheffield Wednesday
There’s two clear healers for Chansiri at Sheffield Wednesday; time, and Rohl.
Protests and overall frustration towards the controversial Owls owner haven’t gone away completely, but what Rohl’s done on the pitch has given fans more reason to be happy than not.
Chansiri’s misspending and mismanagement at the club has set them back a long way and now he’s forced to play catch up.
But credit where credit is due; improvements to the training ground, a new contract for Rohl, and new signings in the club’s sights makes for a very positive start to the summer.
Arguably the best thing Chansiri can do is whatever Rohl asks of him. There’s still a need for a Director of Football or someone in a similar role to take the strain off Rohl, but if results on the pitch keep on the same and Sheffield Wednesday keep on building more sustainably, then there’s no real need for concern.
And a focus towards the youth team is another huge plus for the club that might have gone under the radar earlier this season.
It’ll give Sheffield Wednesday their own talents to procure and develop, and hopefully sell on for big money which they can then reinvest in new first-team players or facilities and so on; all of which keeps their most valuable asset, Rohl, content.
This summer will certainly be a very interesting one for Sheffield Wednesday who could get a lot right, but who could also trip over a lot of different obstacles.
The post Forget Middlewood: Chansiri made one Sheffield Wednesday change earlier in 2024 that Danny Rohl will love - opinion appeared first on Sheffield Wednesday News.