Sheffield Wednesday Season Preview 2021/22: Down but not Owlt

Sheffield Wednesday start the 2021/22 season in League One, their first visit to these shores since 2012. Relegated, technically due to a technicality, the Owls will be hoping they can stabilise and be competitive in a tough division.

The EFL docked the Owls 12-points (reduced to six on appeal) for an accounting error that saw them, essentially, sell their Hillsborough Stadium a month too late. The sale was listed in the accounts for the financial period ending June 2018 when they should have been in the next set of accounts.

Selling a stadium to yourself is a contentious issue in itself, but there has been more to worry about in South Yorkshire as the club prepares for the new campaign.

Being under a soft transfer embargo has meant they can only sign targets on a free transfer or bring them in on loan without a fee attached. They have released a lot of players including Keiran Westwood, a top keeper, as they reset themselves for the third tier. Players have been paid late, fans are still waiting for refunds on season tickets from 2019/20 and 2020/21 and income was badly hit by COVID – not ideal.

There are some reasons to positive, however, with the hiring of Darren Moore last season being the main one. A talented coach who was unlucky to lose his job at West Brom with the team fourth in the Championship at the time, Moore knows League One and sets his team up to play good football. It’s hard to say where Doncaster would have finished last season if he had stayed but it’s fair to assume it would have been higher than 14th.

Moore is good at developing young players, which will be important at Hillsborough this season and is highly respected. The data from his time at the club last season suggests the Owls should have stayed up and although that will be little consolation, it is at least encouraging.

Many question marks remain about owner Dejphon Chansiri, who is too stubborn for his own good at times, but it needn’t be as doom and gloom as everyone thinks.

Hopefully, lessons have been learned and Moore will be left to do his job, something he is quite good at.

The Squad

The squad feels incomplete but there are still some quality pieces. Some of the players Wednesday can call upon are simply too good for League One which is why they may not be there when the season kicks off. Let’s assume for a moment that they are and see how things stack up.

Goalkeeping felt like a big problem but the arrival of Bailey Peacock-Farrell has taken care of that. The Burnley Loanee will be an upgrade on Joe Wildsmith who can now back him up which has allowed Cameron Dawson to head out on loan to Exeter. It’s a much better situation to be in and with the former Leeds loanee between the sticks, Wednesday’s worrying fanbase can relax a little.

The defence has seen the addition of Jack Hunt, a good right-back who has played almost his entire career in the Championship including 95 appearances for Wednesday. He is now 30 and will be an experienced head in a side that could feature quite a few young players. Jaden Brown, another new addition, is a prospect who left Huddersfield this summer. He hasn’t played a lot of games but now has a big opportunity to show what he can do and the 22-year-old is determined to take it.

Chey Dunkley is still at the club after struggling last season. The big centre-back is a different prospect in League One and should be a lot more effective. Of the players who really shouldn’t be playing third-tier football, Dominic Iorfa is one. The 26-year-old is an excellent defender and could have helped keep the Owls in the Championship if he hadn’t suffered a ruptured Achilles in December. He has made his comeback in pre-season and once fully fit should be a star at this level.

Barry Bannan is probably the best player in this team and, unsurprisingly, has been linked with a move away. If he does stay then he will run the show in League One and could help young players like Dennis Adeniran, newly signed from Everton, to develop and settle.

Australian international Massimo Luongo is another top midfielder Wednesday have in their ranks. The 28-year-old needs a bounceback year following a number of injury problems that saw him only make 12 league appearances for the Owls last season. Again, if fit, he will be a superb player for a side in League One and Darren Moore should be able to utilise him effectively.

Lewis Wing is a great signing. The 26-year-old will spend the season on loan from Middlesbrough where he has shown flashes of class. He might lack a bit of physicality, but in League One he’ll be a Rolls Royce in their midfield.

The attacking options are one area that needs work. Josh Windass is still at the club as this is being written but has been linked with a number of sides in the Championship. Callum Paterson netted eight times last season and is likely to be their main goal threat.

Newcomer to watch: Olamide Shodipo

Olamide Shodipo is a great signing for Sheffield Wednesday. He was on loan at Oxford in League One last season and helped the U’s reach the playoffs, scoring 13 goals in all competitions despite being used wide on the left for much of that time.

Tricky, pacey and, at times, unplayable, he is an exciting player who should have the Wednesday faithful off their feet even if he can drift out of matches on occasion.

Verdict

Sheffield Wednesday fans have not had a lot to smile about of late but, with a bit of patience, they should find their feet in League One fairly quickly. With Moore in the dugout and new players Winging (sorry) in, you have to fancy their chances of putting an awful couple of years behind them. This is a side that, if not undermined by happenings off the field, will be attacking the playoffs and could even go further.

words James Richards, D3D4 Football