Are Sheffield Wednesday the next Leicester City?

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How far can Sheffield Wednesday go in replicating Leicester City’s success?

Leicester City are toasting an incredible Premier League title victory, one which has shell shocked the rest of the top flight and destroyed the notion that the division is a closed shop.

The Foxes’ success may not be seen again for some while, but it is giving hope to teams up an down the country, and abroad, that they can emulate their achievement.

One club with a lot going for them at present is Sheffield Wednesday, a former Premier League competitor of Leicester City in the 1990s, who have been out of the top flight since 2000.

They have just clinched a Championship play-off spot, and hope to catapult themselves back into the top flight at long last if results go their way later this month.

The similarities between Wednesday and Leicester extend simply beyond their strong fanbases and years of history competing at a high level.

While the appointment of Claudio Ranieri at Leicester was widely mocked last summer, Sheffield Wednesday’s decision to axe reliable but pragmatic boss Stuart Gray and bring in the largely unknown Carlos Carvalhal was treated with suspicion.

Carvalhal had a lesser pedigree than Ranieri, and he was viewed as a surprise appointment for a club aiming for promotion, who pundits argued needed a manager with Championship experience.

He has proven a success, leading Wednesday into the play-offs at the first time of asking, and few would bet against him achieving more, while like Ranieri he is a popular character who wins friends off the field as well as on it.

In the boardroom the Owls are backed by new owner Dejphon Chanisiri, who like Leicester City’s owners, hails from Thailand.

Chansiri prefers to stay in the background, but shows an interest and has put money forward, without splashing the cash to the extent teams like Middlesbrough and Burnley have, each buying strikers for £9 million plus. Wednesday’s most expensive addition was the £3 million spent to sign Gary Hooper from Norwich.

While Wednesday would for now simply be happy to be back in the Premier League at long last, rather than focusing on winning it, their infrastructure and sensible ownership indicates that they will have a chance of remaining in the division, rather than slipping straight back down.

Even this season they may be unsuccessful in their promotion challenge, but supporters should be positive that the club is moving in the right direction, and take inspiration from Leicester that they can get back to where they want to be, and more.