Five Potential Managers Sheffield Wednesday Could Target – Opinion

Sheffield Wednesday are looking for a new manager yet again, Xisco Muñoz’s short-lived tenure at Hillsborough put out of its misery after only 10 games – the Spaniard departing the Owls winless as manager, eight defeats to his name.

With the mood at Wednesday currently toxic – chairman Dejphon Chansiri not exactly a popular figure – it’ll be intriguing to see who the Owls appoint as their next manager.

It’ll be a mammoth task for whoever does take over from the departing Muñoz, Wednesday rooted to the bottom of the Championship at this moment of time with only five goals scored and two points amassed.

To make matters worse, the Owls face off against Huddersfield Town next at home – Darren Moore returning to Hillsborough, the former Wednesday boss would love to further add salt to the Wednesday wound with his new Terriers team. A victory for Moore would be his first for his new employers, another added incentive.

Can Sheffield Wednesday work up some magic with this managerial choice, an appointment that inspires the forlorn group of players currently to break out of the relegation zone?

Only time will tell..

Here are five names below that are being linked with the Owls vacancy, the list comprising of an ex player, a renowned relegation specialist and more!

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Dean Smith

Dean Smith could well fancy a return to management with Sheffield Wednesday, Smith has connections to Wednesday as a previous player for the club – making 55 appearances for the Owls between 2003 and 2004.

Smith’s reputation as a manager has been slightly hindered by his last two jobs, the 52-year-old only winning 16 of his 56 games in charge of Norwich City whilst his short time at Leicester saw the Foxes suffer relegation from the Premier League.

Yet, he has been successful as an EFL manager elsewhere in his career.

He helped Aston Villa win promotion back to the Premier League after a turbulent time at Villa Park prior, keeping them up in the top flight the season after as well.

His time at Brentford before taking on the Villa vacancy also saw him praised for his attractive, easy on the eye approach to the game, the 2017-18 season especially saw him receive plaudits for the job he was doing with the Bees – finishing 9th in the Championship with Ollie Watkins and Neal Maupay starring up top.

Smith could, therefore, be a smart move for Sheffield Wednesday as he’s a manager who has managed to bring success back to a club on its knees in the past and you imagine he’d be up for returning to management after his two month spell at Leicester.

Carlos Carvalhal

Another former face could be in the running for the Wednesday vacancy, this time an ex manager could potentially be coming back in the form of Carlos Carvalhal.

The Portuguese manager was a well-liked man when he was in charge over a two year tenure at Hillsborough, achieving two playoff finishes in the second tier with the Owls – Hull City thwarting Carvalhal’s men of promotion to the Premier League in the 2016 Playoff Final, Mo Diame scoring the only goal of the game for the Tigers to win 1-0 at Wembley and break Wednesday hearts.

The 57-year-old has mainly managed in his native Portugal since his dismissal from the Owls in 2017, Carvalhal winning the Taca De Portugal with Braga in the 2020-21 season as boss.

Carvalhal was linked with a return to South Yorkshire when Darren Moore was surprisingly axed, so could Chansiri be tempted to bring back the former boss now for another go in the Hillsborough hot-seat?

Neil Warnock

A manager who needs no introduction, Neil Warnock could well fancy one last swan-song in the English game if Sheffield Wednesday came calling for his services.

Remarkably, Warnock has never taken charge of the Owls despite managing all around Yorkshire during his extensive and celebrated managerial career – managing the likes of Rotherham United, Leeds United, Huddersfield Town and Wednesday’s arch rivals Sheffield United.

His connection to the Blades could put many Wednesday fans off this appointment, but for where the club currently find themselves, Warnock could well be the perfect man for the almighty job on offer.

When in charge of Rotherham United during the 2015-16 season, Warnock completely changed the team’s fortunes around with relegation a very real concern for the Millers before his arrival.

He managed to go on an amazing 11 match unbeaten run with his new employers, beating the likes of Middlesbrough and Brentford on their way to staving off relegation.

Even in his last job at Huddersfield Town, Warnock was commended for steadying the ship.

He ensured that the Terriers wouldn’t fall through the Championship trapdoor last season as a result of the failed tenure of Mark Fotheringham before him, staying up in the Championship after Huddersfield were seven points adrift at one stage.

Warnock certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if Wednesday want a relegation specialist to turn around the fortunes of a side down on their luck, the 74-year-old, Sheffield-born icon is very much the right fit.

https://twitter.com/warnockofficial/status/1703804000288514509

Sabri Lamouchi

Dejphon Chansiri, since becoming Sheffield Wednesday chairman all the way back in 2015, has more often than not opted for a foreign head coach to take over – the Thai owner appointing the likes of Jos Luhukay, Carlos Carvahal and the recently dismissed Xisco Muñoz as manager.

Sabri Lamouchi could well fit the mould as Munoz’s replacement therefore, the Frenchman – who played for the likes of Inter Milan and Marseille before venturing into coaching – has managed in the EFL previously.

He hasn’t exactly set the world alight as a manager in his time in England however, let go of by Cardiff City in May this year after picking up six wins from 18 games.

He fared slightly better when he was boss of Nottingham Forest back in 2019, nearly clinching a spot in the Championship playoffs for Forest during the 2019-20 season only to cruelly lose 4-1 on the final day to Stoke City to miss out.

Still, at a time where Forest chopped and changed managers at a rapid pace, Lamouchi was given the full season and even won two Championship Manager of the Months along the way.

Could Sheffield Wednesday give the Frenchman another crack at Championship football as a manager?

Nathan Jones

Lastly, Nathan Jones is another name being rumoured for the Wednesday job – the former Luton Town boss out of a job since being sacked by Southampton in February this year.

The main reason his name is being linked with the Owls vacancy is how he fared in charge of the Hatters, away from his failures at both Stoke City and with the aforementioned Saints.

Jones managed a staggering 141 victories in charge of Luton over two separate spells, the latter spell saw Jones win promotion to the Championship with the Hatters after the club had been in League Two only a few seasons prior.

Before leaving for Southampton, Jones had turned Luton into a team dreaming of Premier League football by competing up the top end of the second tier – stabilising the Hatters in the second tier, before finishing in the playoff spots in the 2021-22 season.

Although Luton went on to win promotion to the top flight under Rob Edwards, it cannot be understated the role the Welshman had in the success story of the Hatters.

The jury is still out, however, on whether Jones can succeed away from Luton. Could Wednesday present the 50-year-old with another chance to show he can succeed away from Bedfordshire?

 

What do you make of the list of potential managers for Sheffield Wednesday? Any names I’ve missed out? Let us know in the comments…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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