Palmer played for Sheffield Wednesday across two spells and continues to support the Owls post-retirement.
Carlton Palmer believes a clear-out is needed at Sheffield Wednesday – although it could be easier said than done.
A glut of injuries has severely hindered Wednesday’s progress this season – turning what was meant to be a third straight shot at promotion into a laboured fight for survival.
Even so, as many as 32 players have made Championship appearances for the Owls this campaign. But only seven of those – including loanees – are out of contract this summer.
Speaking to Proper Sport on Thursday, Palmer warned that Jos Luhukay could struggle to move on many more than that.
“Carlos Carvalhal has left, the new manager who’s come in [Luhukay] is in the same situation,” said the former Wednesday midfielder. “He can’t move players out, he can’t move players in. He doesn’t have the say of which player comes in and which players go out. It becomes a major problem.
“When a chairman comes to you and says well you can choose from one of these players, even though he’s giving you the input, those players might not be what you want. You might want to shift a load of players out.
“For me, Sheffield Wednesday need a massive clear-out. They’ve got no legs, they’ve got no strength, they’ve got no desire in abundance in the team. I think Carlos wanted to do that, he wasn’t allowed to do that. But, he signed his contract under those terms and he ended up leaving.”
To make matters worse, Sheffield Wednesday are likely to encounter problems with Financial Fair Play this summer, having announced losses of nearly £21 million for 2016-17 – an increase of more than £11 million on the previous campaign.
Although it is expected that those figures are somewhat higher than the ones eventually submitted, confidentially, to the EFL – who only count towards FFP money that is spent on the first team – club’s are permitted to lose a maximum of £39 million per three-year period.
Which players should Sheffield Wednesday try to offload this summer?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
