The opening day of the transfer window is upon us, meaning a summer of rebuilding can finally begin. For some fans this day isn’t important and is just another Monday, for others it’s like waiting for Christmas Day. There are fans who no matter what situation the Owls are in will have been drawing up lists for the club to immediately act on. There will be inevitable fury when the club doesn’t match their expectations, and they are left like a disappointed kid on Christmas Day. I think this transfer window is possibly the most crucial in the club’s history as a massive squad rebuild awaits us.
There have been other rebuild jobs this century such as in 21/22 season, but this one just carries more urgency. In all the optimism since the takeover, which we have rightly enjoyed, there are reminders of the scale of our task ahead. It is worth noting that a few weeks ago it looked like the EFL were going to add on a lot more obstacles via points deductions, wage restrictions and transfer embargoes. This would have impacted on our ability to attract the players we need and a relegation battle seemed inevitable. This would have impacted season ticket sales as it is hard to drive people back to watch us battle relegation again. The financial impact of the lower sales would be felt by the club due to our transfer spending solely being based on our turnover. Even with record sales a successful transfer window affords an opportunity to tempt even more fans back.
It is hard to ignore the talk around the possibility of Jamie Vardy turning out for his boyhood club next season. The club has not denied that there have at least been thoughts of an approach at some stage. I think the idea of him signing remains remote and a top flight club somewhere can tempt him away from S6. I am just enjoying the fact this sort of discussion exists having seen it disappear under Chansiri.
There of course have been some important non playing signings such as David Bruce and Simon Wilson. The key to this transfer window is clear and working strategy with focus on the long term. By appointing Bruce and Wilson it is clear the new owners knew this was the case.
The repeated mistakes of previous transfer windows will need to be avoided but running to the other extreme would be foolish. It is undeniable in previous seasons that we have signed too many older players with little resale value. However, no squad can get promoted from League One without a proper balance of youth and experience. This is why the experience of the likes of Bannan would be crucial during a long season. The mistake would be to play him every game and everything to go through him, but I feel all parties know this isn’t feasible. But the lack of experience and guidance in last season’s squad was brutal and affected us all season. The sub benches were simply not fit for senior football and cannot be repeated.
If you look at our current squad, we lack numbers and experience in every area of the pitch. This provides a unique situation as it prevents us from simply focusing on one area of our squad. There will need to bring in numbers and somehow achieve a balance within the squad. It will be hard to get the sheer numbers required, but to ensure we have a mixture of youth, pace, experience and goals across the squad will be extremely challenging. There is also a limited period for this rebuild and hopefully they get as much time to gel as possible.
Thankfully in Simon Wilson we have someone who has a very clear blueprint on squad building which has brough him success to date. He may only have been officially confirmed but it is clear he will have already been working on this transfer window. The fact he has clearly had discussions with Pedersen and wants to work with him closes the debate on the manager’s future. Regardless of last season, a change in manager now would be a distraction we cannot afford. This blueprint will add a dimension of long term planning missing from previous transfer windows. This is where recruiting younger players with potential resale value will not be ignored.
There will also be the reality of losing our best players this summer due to the fact we are in League One next season. The likes of Charles, Lowe and Valery will be missed but all clubs need to accept players move on. It is important where possible and especially in the case of Charles that we try and get as big a fee as possible.
It is important to realise that with the best will in the world a major squad rehaul takes time. This may mean that our new squad does not come flying out of the blocks next season and there may be some early stumbles. As a fanbase we were starved of wins last season and it was awful to endure. So naturally we will want to start winning again and get that basic joy it brings. There are those who are convinced Pedersen should go and he will have little grace if early defeats are suffered. But this is a squad rebuild for the long term, and our owners see us as a club reborn. Let us take those first steps on the pitch together, We’re All Wednesday Aren’t We?