The January transfer window is just days away – and Danny Röhl has reiterated his desire for Sheffield Wednesday to push on in the transfer market.
The Owls sit on the edge of the top six conversation and have battled their way to an incredible ninth place in the Championship after their last day survival miracle last season. Their latest triumph comes in the form of a 3-3 draw in which they found themselves 3-0 down at half-time – Owls historian Jason Dickinson has discovered it to be their first comeback draw from such a scoreline since 1963. The question continues to be – what can be achieved this season?
Speaking in his post-match commitment to the broadcast media, Röhl playfully invited BBC Sheffield to close their interview on the question of where a successful January window could take Wednesday. He has made clear he feels they are close to mounting a genuine challenge for the top six if an ambitious January transfer window is to be realised.
The likes of Ben Doak and Finn Azaz lit up the first half of a match that saw Middlesbrough take control before a system re-shuffle helped Wednesday roar back into the clash and take a 3-3 draw. It is their sort of player profile the Owls boss has described what he believes his squad needs to push on to a genuine play-off push – with the Premier League loan market a probable avenue for intended business.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said in conversation with The Star a few minutes after his radio interview. “I am proud of my players, I love my players. But to have the expectation and if you want to dream then you must have more, you have to open up your eyes and do something and not just talk.”
The Owls, who face yet another rapid turnaround and a trip to Preston North End on Sunday, ended the game at the Riverside as the aggressors in a topsy-turvy battle that saw Boro defender Rav van den Berg sent off for two yellow cards in a moment that altered the home side’s approach. Asked whether there was perhaps just a percentage of disappointment that Wednesday weren’t able to go on and complete a full comeback mission, Röhl shook his head.
“Not for one minute,” he smiled. “Last week we showed how difficult it is to play against 10 men, we won this game, the red card changed the dynamic of the game because Boro were more about the counter attacks and waiting for the small mistakes. They have the quality, they don’t need many chances and they are clinical in front. Of course we had the chances to go for the 4-3 but all in all we should be very happy to come back from 3-0 down.
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