Stuart Armstrong could leave Sheffield Wednesday after just half a season at Hillsborough, following confirmation that the Scotsman only signed a short-term contract.
The former Southampton man moved back to England in January after a short stint at MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps, and has since made 11 appearances in the Championship for Wednesday.
He is not the only player who has been linked with a move away, with at least nine players’ contracts running out at the end of this season, on top of the three loanees who will end their temporary moves away from their parent clubs.
German manager Danny Röhl, who has also been linked with a move away from Hillsborough himself, confirmed in a press conference with The Star this week that Armstrong was only signed on a short-term deal.
With the pedigree that the 33-year-old has earned in England, playing 149 times at Premier League level, Röhl revealed that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Armstrong have other options to go elsewhere.
“These are all decisions we must come to as a club. This is what I mean, everybody wants to have a clear picture of where we are going, who is here and who is not here. These are all decisions that we will have to take as a club moving on.
“I will not go too much into details, when he arrived, he had no pre-season and it was maybe a bit difficult, but you see now how much quality he has in moments, and it is maybe a shame the season is nearly over. It is a decision for both sides. Stuey took this to help the club, and I knew what I could get from him when he is fully fit.
“He had ups and downs, a break, a small injury which took some rhythm. Now he is getting better, and it is part now heading into the break, what to do with certain players. You can offer him something, but I can also imagine Stuey will get some options from other clubs, and these are the decisions we have to make as a club.”
Writer’s View
With the off-the-pitch issues at Sheffield Wednesday, the club need to be very careful about losing key players, such as the experienced Armstrong, if they want to remain a Championship club next season. Arguably, the best pieces of transfer business the club could do would be to keep Röhl and other key players, such as Josh Windass, amid interest elsewhere. Losing Röhl could be the start of the end for Wednesday, with Chansiri still in charge.
