A Sheffield Wednesday player who was key in them earning promotion back to the Championship now wants to leave the club in the January transfer window, according to a new claim.
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The Owls trade league commitments for FA Cup duties on Saturday evening, making the trip to Coventry City for an all-Championship clash in the third round.
Admittedly, the competition doesn’t take preference this season, with Wednesday instead hoping to mount a genuine playoff charge, sitting 10th in the table with 20 more matches remaining this season. Last weekend’s disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Millwall saw sloppy points dropped, but Danny Rohl’s side are still in a good position.
The current transfer window could give the Owls a chance to bolster their squad, should Rohl feel like added reinforcements will improve his team’s chance of returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2000. One report has claimed that they have made a move for Brisbane Roar attacker Thomas Waddingham, who has been described as a “teen sensation”.
On the flip side, however, there is the threat that Wednesday could lose key players before the end of the month, and a new update has suggested exactly that.
Influential Sheffield Wednesday stalwart wants to leave
According to a new report from Football Insider, Sheffield Wednesday centre-back Michael Ihiekwe is “keen” to leave the club this month, amid “interest” from clubs in both the Championship and League One.
The 32-year-old is said to be “in search of regular first-team football”, having drifted down the defensive pecking order under Rohl this season. The Owls are “open” to allowing him to leave, feeling as though they have enough depth in that area of the pitch.
Whether or not Rohl is happy to see Ihiekwe leave remains to be seen, or if it’s just those high up at the club, but losing him would affect Wednesday’s squad depth between now and the end of the season.
The veteran defender has been an impressive servant since arriving at Hillsborough from Rotherham United in 2022, helping the Owls seal promotion back to the Championship in his first season, following the memorable League One playoff victories against Peterborough United and Barnsley.
Granted, Ihiekwe has only managed three starts in the league so far this season, seeing his playing time limited, but he has so often been a dependable performer, with journalist Alex Miller saying of one display: “There is a couple of moments that could have got hairy early doors. Threw his body at the cause on more than one occasion, a block on 68 minutes vital. A warrior on an afternoon that needed them.”
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There is a risk element in allowing Ihiekwe to leave, unless a direct replacement is brought in, but if he wants a new challenge at this stage in his career, it does also make sense to allow him to move on.
