Sheffield Wednesday are believed to be pushing to sign a “fantastic” Premier League player in the January transfer window, according to reliable journalist Joe Crann.
Sheffield Wednesday facing injury crisis
The Owls suffered a damaging defeat in the Championship on Sunday afternoon, falling to a 3-1 defeat away to Preston North End, halting Danny Rohl’s side’s momentum in the process.
In fairness to Wednesday, they were arguably the better team for large chunks of the game, and when Josh Windass equalised in the second half they looked the most likely side to pick up all three points, only for the visitors to gift their opponents a penalty and another sloppy goal.
The defeat leaves the Owls sitting 11th in the Championship table, which is perfectly respectable, but Rohl is now having to tackle an injury crisis at centre-back, with Dominic Iorfa forced off at Preston, adding to the list of absentees in that area of the pitch.
With the January window now just a few days away from opening, Wednesday will be afforded the chance to make new signings, and it looks as though a defender is being eyed up.
Sheffield Wednesday eyeing Premier League defender
According to The Sheffield Star‘s Crann, Sheffield Wednesday have made an enquiry about signing Southampton centre-back Ronnie Edwards in January.
The Owls are “very keen to try and get a deal done” for the 21-year-old, with a loan move from St Mary’s mooted, and he is “believed to be very in demand”. The report adds that Rohl has “identified the centre-back as one of his top targets”.
Edwards could be exactly what Wednesday are after when it comes to bolstering their centre-back options in January, with a loan move potentially appealing to the player himself, too. Regular football has been hard to come by for Saints this season, with just one appearance totalling 12 minutes coming his way in the Premier League in 2024/25 to date. That arguably isn’t benefiting him, so the idea of being a key figure at Hillsborough could be ideal.
Darren Ferguson hailed Edwards as “fantastic” during his time at Peterborough United, while Barry Fry has heaped further praise on him, saying: “Ronnie is a Rolls Royce. We knew that when we signed him. It’s no secret how highly Ronnie is rated by other clubs and by the England set up. We had 18 Premier League scouts watching him play for the under 23s at our stadium.”
There is no question that Wednesday need a centre-back signing in the coming weeks, or they will risk falling further down the Championship during the winter, given their lack of available options in defence.
Related
Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season
Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.
In Edwards, the Owls have a highly-rated young player in their sights, and the fact that Rohl has reportedly picked him out as an ideal target next month further outlines why he should be considered a priority addition, giving the manager exactly who he craves for the remainder of the season.
