Joe Wildsmith has yet to sign a new contract with Sheffield Wednesday.
Sheffield Wednesday fans celebrate
Sheffield Wednesday’s rapid transformation into Championship promotion contenders is not good news for everyone.
With the Owls now more inclined to seek established recruits in their quest for an immediate escape from the second tier, there’s been little opportunity for players from the club’s now thriving academy to break through.
Were the EFL’s new ‘club-developed’ player rules – which stipulate that each team must include one per matchday squad – to come into force immediately, only a handful of first-team appearance makers would actually qualify. These are Liam Palmer, Joe Wildsmith, Cameron Dawson, Connor O’Grady, Jack Stobbs and George Hirst.
But with only Palmer and Hirst under contract next season as it stands, Wednesday are likely to encounter difficulties should they remain a Championship side at the start of 2018-19.
Unlike some other clubs, it’s not as though the Owls could bring back some of their previous academy graduates, as who would actually be good enough? Richard Wood? Tommy Spurr? Mark Beevers? Richard O’Donnell? Sadly none of those any more.
It’s imperative then that some of the aforementioned youngsters are tied down – or others rapidly brought through if not.
And Wildsmith’s contract is perhaps the most pressing, given his performances at first team level over the past two campaigns, not to mention his England recognition.
Let’s hope the new development prompts Wednesday into action.
Sheffield Wednesday’s Joe Wildsmith in action (right)
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