After a complete turnaround in the club’s fortunes, which coincided with the appointment of manager Danny Rohl, there is plenty of hope for Sheffield Wednesday ahead of the forthcoming season.
Having at one point looked doomed, the Owls would complete quite the escape, going unbeaten in their final eight games and winning their final three, to finish in 20th place in the Championship table. A win on the final day was pivotal and they’d survive by just three points but now look as if they’re a club on the up.
After the German extended his time with the club last week, signing a three-year contract extension, there is plenty for Owls fans to be excited about. They’ve gone from potentially being a League One side to now being a rather ambitious club with quite the project under Rohl.
The manner in which they finished off the 2023/24 season emphasises the direction that they’re currently heading it, and that could be quite the pull factor for a number of players this season.
Improvements are still required and the club are already looking to bolster their ranks in order to show their faith in the manager. They’ve recently been linked with exciting young striker, Mika Biereth from Arsenal, which only further enhances their claims as an ambitious side.
Biereth, who is valued at £6 million by Transfermarkt, has spent the second half of the season on loan with Strum Graz and has been mightily impressive for the Austrian side. The 21-year-old has notched nine goals and four assists in just 22 appearances for the club and has gained plenty of admirers as a result.
Sheffield Wednesday are one of those who are interested in the Austrian striker, however they look to now be facing an uphill task to gain his services. It has been reported by The Standard that Strum Graz want to sign the striker on a permanent deal and are set to hold talks this week.
It’s an attractive offer for the player, who will be playing Champions League football if he was to join and with one year left on his contract at Arsenal, he may be allowed to leave this summer. There is still a chance that Wednesday can gain his signature but they could now be priced out of a move.
It’s unknown what Rohl’s plans are for the summer transfer window but it’s highly unlikely that he’ll want to use the majority of the budget on one player, so they may miss out here.
Writer’s View
The signing of the youngster would certainly be a statement if Sheffield Wednesday were to pull it off but they would potentially be putting all their eggs into one basket with it. Biereth has talent, no doubt about that, but it’s hard to justify his price tag for a club like the Owls.
If Rohl recruits well this summer then they could, at the very least, be targeting a top-half finish. The way in which they finished the season was mightily impressive and the manager will want to prove that was no fluke.
With some decent free agents on the market, Wednesday may well choose to go down that route but nonetheless, Biereth is still one to watch for the future and could go to the very top.
