Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen has stated that the struggling Championship side is knocking on the EFL’s door for help regarding their increasing injury woes.
This is per a report from the Sheffield Star, following yet another weekend filled with absentees and injuries for the Owls.
The Danish boss stood and watched as goalkeeper Pierce Charles was withdrawn an hour into their FA Cup third round defeat against Premier League high-flyers Brentford.
There are fears that the 20-year-old has once again damaged his shoulder, just a month after he returned from a similar injury, which saw him miss three months of action.
Charles rejoins an extensive injury list at Hillsborough — a list which is rapidly spiralling into chaos, after Dominic Iorfa also joined it before the cup visit of the Bees with a groin issue.
The EFL have allowed Sheffield Wednesday to sign two players on no-fee loan deals this month, but that’s now looking like it won’t be enough.
Henrik Pedersen admits Sheffield Wednesday need more help
Despite the EFL permitting a couple of new faces at Hillsborough this summer, Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen is hopeful that his side will be allowed to bring in a few more to help bolster his depleting squad.
“Yes, we try to knock every day. We put pressure for what we can,” Pedersen told the Sheffield Star.
“We need help, and we try to do all that we can to get help as quickly as possible. Right now, it’s two players, and this is what we are working from, so let’s see.”
Evidently, the gruelling schedule of a regular EFL season is having an added impact on the short-handed Wednesday side, who, due to various restrictions and embargos placed upon them due to financial difficulties during former owner Dejphon Chansiri’s final few months at Hillsborough, started the campaign with fewer senior players than most.
As the season’s gone on, it’s become more and more difficult to field a competitive side, resulting in the Owls winning just once in 25 league games this season.
Pedersen admits that additions would help Wednesday be more competitive in the latter half of the season, but stresses that the main importance of getting more bodies through the door is to help reduce the load of his current crop.
“It’s for the results, but also for the health. When you have three or four senior players, of course, it’s tough,” he continued.
“But again, we try to do the best we can with things we can control and with the environment we have. This is where we are using our energy.”
Sheffield Wednesday’s squad situation is worsening week by week
Pierce Charles was replaced on Saturday by debutant Logan Stretch. There’ll be some hope that this injury won’t result in a similar layoff to the one earlier in the season, not only for the 20-year-old’s sake, but also due to the impact that would have on recruitment elsewhere.
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Ideally, Henrik Pedersen would be using his two loan spots to add to a depleted outfield squad, but if Charles is expected to miss more months of action, there’d be expectations that one of those slots will be used in the goalkeeper department.
Earlier in the term, when the Northern Irish international was ruled out, Cardiff City’s Ethan Horvath was drafted in, but he has since departed at the conclusion of the spell following Charles’ return.
Wednesday’s unfortunate situation means that the most important position on the field is in goal, as opponents take more shots against the Owls than any other Championship side. Therefore, a senior player arguably needs to be in goal at all times, rather than an inexperienced youngster.
Therefore, if there are only to be two new arrivals this month, Charles’ injury may inadvertently lessen the scope of opportunity to add to a struggling outfield group.
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