It has been a busy start to the summer for Sheffield Wednesday after they secured survival in the Championship.
The Owls looked destined to make an immediate return to League One after a disastrous start to the season under Xisco Munoz, but they achieved safety after a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl as they finished 20th in the table.
Wednesday received a huge boost as Rohl signed a new long-term contract at the club in May and the German has wasted no time in getting to work on rebuilding his squad.
The Owls have brought in nine new signings so far this summer, with James Beadle, Ben Hamer, Max Lowe, Yan Valery, Svante Ingelsson, Nathaniel Chalobah, Olaf Kobacki, Jamal Lowe and Charlie McNeill arriving at Hillsborough.
Liam Palmer, Dominic Iorfa, Barry Bannan and Josh Windass have all signed new contracts with Wednesday, but Cameron Dawson and Will Vaulks turned down the offer of an extension to join Rotherham United and Oxford United respectively, while Ciaran Brennan, Reece James, George Byers, Tyreeq Bakinson, Juan Delgado and Lee Gregory have been released.
Despite their huge influx of signings, the Owls’ summer business is not complete just yet, and with over a month of the transfer window remaining, we looked at four Premier League players they should target.
Luke Cundle
After the departures of Vaulks, Byers and Bakinson, and with the loans of Jeff Hendrick and Momo Diaby expiring, Wednesday are light in central midfield.
As well as needing more numbers in the middle of the park, the Owls require more creativity, and one player who could help to provide that is Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Luke Cundle.
Cundle spent time out on loan with Plymouth Argyle and Stoke City in the Championship last season, scoring an impressive total of seven goals and providing eight assists in 43 appearances in all competitions for both clubs.
The 22-year-old can play either the holding midfield role or in a more advanced position, and that versatility would be incredibly useful for Wednesday next season, while his attacking game would likely develop further under Rohl’s guidance.
It seems likely that Cundle will be on the move again this summer, but after a number of loan spells, he may feel it is time to depart Molineux permanently, and the Owls should consider making an offer.
Tom Cannon
As well as strengthening the midfield, bolstering the forward areas will be another priority for Wednesday in the remainder of the window.
The Owls are keen to re-sign Troyes striker Ike Ugbo after his successful loan spell last season, but with uncertainty over whether they will be able to reach a deal for the Canadian international, they should reignite their interest in Leicester City striker Tom Cannon.
Wednesday were reportedly keen to sign Cannon last summer while he was at Everton, but he instead joined the Foxes on a permanent basis for a fee of £7.5 million.
Injury prevented Cannon from making his debut for Leicester until December, and despite enjoying a decent run of form after returning to fitness, he struggled to nail down his place in the team.
Cannon made just one substitute appearance in the final two months of last season, and while Steve Cooper has since replaced Enzo Maresca at the King Power Stadium, there are serious question marks over his long-term future at the club.
The 21-year-old will have no shortage of Championship suitors if he becomes available this summer, but he could be the prolific goalscorer the Owls desperately need.
Jay Stansfield
One ambitious striker option Wednesday should consider this summer is Fulham’s Jay Stansfield.
Despite suffering relegation to League One during his loan spell at Birmingham City last season, Stansfield impressed on an individual level, scoring 13 goals and providing three assists in 47 appearances in all competitions.
According to journalist Darren Witcoop, Fulham manager Marco Silva is a “big fan” of Stansfield, but he could be allowed to depart on loan again this summer amid “enquiries from a number of Championship clubs”.
Birmingham have reportedly opened talks with the Cottagers over a £6 million deal for Stansfield, while Hull City and Cardiff City have also been credited with an interest in the 21-year-old.
It is easy to see why Stansfield is in demand, and after netting 13 goals in a struggling team last season, the thought of him playing in a more successful side is an exciting prospect.
With that in mind, the Owls should join the race for Stansfield’s signature, and while it could be tough for them to compete financially with Birmingham, who have already broken the League One transfer record on two occasions this summer, he could prove to be an excellent long-term investment for the club if owner Dejphon Chansiri is willing to meet his valuation.
Given that Fulham are said to be demanding over £5 million for Stansfield, a permanent deal may be out of reach for Wednesday, but Rohl’s reputation for developing young players could convince him to come to Hillsborough on loan.
Ali Al-Hamadi
With some suggesting that Wednesday could be an outside promotion contender next season, they will need to take inspiration from Ipswich Town, who finished second in the Championship last term, and there could be no better way of emulating the Tractor Boys than signing members of their promotion-winning squad.
After a prolific spell at AFC Wimbledon in League Two that saw him score 17 goals and provide seven assists in 29 games in the first half of last season, Ali Al-Hamadi made the move to Ipswich in January.
With the Tractor Boys pushing for automatic promotion, it was always going to be tough for Al-Hamadi to break into the team, but he still made a decent impact, scoring four goals and registering one assist in 14 games to help Kieran McKenna’s side secure their return to the Premier League.
However, only one of Al-Hamadi’s 14 appearances for Ipswich came from the start, and with Liam Delap joining the club from Manchester City this summer, he could be pushed further down the pecking order.
Newly-promoted Oxford United are said to be keen to sign Al-Hamadi on loan, but they are unlikely to be the only Championship club interested in the 22-year-old, and after proving that he can perform in the second tier, he could be a gamble worth taking for the Owls.
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