Fans of Sheffield Wednesday would be happy with any of the following this festive season…
A more consistent source of goals
Wednesday have averaged 1.18 goals a game in this season’s Championship, compared to 1.43 last term. Just as Gary Hooper and Fernando Forestieri looked to be hitting their stride they were stopped in their tracks by injury and suspension, respectively. Another reliable option in front of goal would not go amiss (without mentioning any names… cough).
For the summer signings to come good
Nine new faces arrived at Hillsborough in the summer, but only one of them (Adam Reach) can be described as being more than useful so far. These signings were supposed to take the Owls to the next level, but they have produced better results without them. A return on that investment would be nice.
A clone of Forestieri
Despite recent results, he is arguably the player without whom Wednesday struggle the most, and losing him in January would leave a huge dent in their aspirations of promotion this season. There are few others at Championship level who could replicate the Italian’s impact on Carlos Carvalhal’s team.
A clone of Sam Hutchinson
Hutchinson is an early contender for Wednesday’s player of the year and, ideally, the Owls would have a Hutch at the back and another in midfield. It would be nice to have an alternative for when the injuries and suspensions inevitably occur.
Better defensive cover
Carvalhal said when questioned earlier this month that he was happy with his options, but with Hutchinson now seemingly settled in midfield, Wednesday are only an injury or suspension to Glenn Loovens or Tom Lees away from having to use one of Vincent Sasso or Jose Semedo, who’ve played a combined 73 minutes of Championship football this season.
Get rid of the deadwood
Carvalhal has also suggested that his side’s January plans are dictated by the Football League’s Financial Fair Play regulations, but removing Claude Dielna, Lewis McGugan and Sergiu Bus from the books would save – at a guess – £30,000 a week in wages, and grow into £720,000 over the course of the campaign. None of the three have featured for Wednesday this season and even without them the Owls would still have 29 senior players to choose from.
Simultaneous Leeds and Sheffield United collapses
Season of goodwill… for everyone but you two.
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