Sheffield Wednesday boss Steve Bruce is reportedly keen to offload the three attacking players this summer.
According to a report from The Sun on Sunday (23/6; page 60), Steve Bruce is keen for the Sheffield Wednesday hierarchy to lower the asking prices of Fernando Forestieri, Lucas Joao and Jordan Rhodes so the trio can be sold this summer.
Bruce is getting work underway in his first summer window at Hillsborough. A number of players have already been released, and it appears that he is keen to move more names off the books before the deadline.
The Sun on Sunday (23/6; page 60) suggests that Bruce is hoping that Forestieri, Joao and Rhodes will all have their asking prices dropped to pave the way for moves away from Hillsborough during the coming weeks.
It is not clear whether the board will be willing to agree to Bruce’s request, but if their departures open the door for the former Aston Villa boss to get some of his own targets in, then it looks to be the best move for all parties.
Is Bruce taking a gamble?
The three players scored 22 Championship goals between them last season – Rhodes, of course, spent the campaign on loan at Norwich City – and Forestieri and Rhodes in particular have previously been considered two of the league’s best players at various points during their careers.
They may not have been at their best this past season, but they will clearly need replacing and they each have the potential to impress wherever they may end up.
But if Bruce is convinced that Wednesday will be better off after offloading the three men, then the board would be wise to listen to the manager given that few know more about what it takes to get promoted out of the Championship than the Owls boss.
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