Sheffield Wednesday will have been compiling a list of potential summer transfer targets for some time, but it appears that Danny Rohl intends to keep the majority of his current squad.
The Owls are in negotiations with a number of players about their futures with the club, including Josh Windass.
He claims that his agency is in talks with Wednesday, and that Rohl staying would most certainly entice him and a couple of his teammates to commit their careers to the club.
That could be the case with the club’s existing loan players, three of whom Sheffield Wednesday hope to re-sign this summer: James Beadle, Ian Poveda, and Ike Ugbo.
Beadle and Poveda may be easier moves for the Owls, although a prospective deal for Ugbo may be more difficult given the present scenario with his parent club Troyes.
They have two games left to close the five-point gap to safety in Ligue 2. With a second consecutive relegation on the horizon, the French club is beginning to clear its books in preparation for the summer.
Troyes’ recent transfer is a major indication for Sheffield Wednesday.
Troyes are apparently close to selling Mama Balde to French giants Lyon, after spending the season on loan with the club.
Troyes reportedly signed Balde for €3.5 million in 2021, and now they plan to transfer him to Lyon for an initial €6 million (£5.2 million), which might rise to €6.5 million.
Balde, a winger, has two goals and three assists in 20 Ligue 1 appearances for Lyon this season, after scoring 12 for Troyes in the French top division last season.
According to Transfermarkt, Troyes spent €3 million for Ugbo in 2022. He scored just twice in 25 Ligue 1 appearances for Troyes last season, but 11 in the 2023/24 Championship season (four for Cardiff City and seven in 18 for Sheffield Wednesday).
So Troyes aren’t selling their players for cheap this summer. And after reportedly paying €3 million for Ugbo just a couple
They will undoubtedly demand their fee back from years ago.
Another reason why Sheffield Wednesday might struggle to recruit Ike Ugbo.
Not only would Dejphon Chansiri have to pay a lot of money to sign Ugbo this summer, but the fact that he’s already starred in the Championship will only put him in the spotlight.
There could be plenty of clubs in England and Europe looking at Ugbo and his predicament at Troyes, and seeing him as a potentially savvy signing. He triumphed while playing for Rohl, a highly technical and European-style coach, implying to other European teams that Ugbo has the capacity to thrive with them.
And there will be plenty of clubs out there willing to outbid Sheffield Wednesday for Ugbo, so a permanent move for the Canadian international appears to be an ambitious one.
But the Owls and Rohl have gotten the best of Ugbo. A return to S6 may be Ugbo’s preference, but with Troyes falling down the French football pyramid, they’ll want to make sure they’re covered in the transfer market, and a large fee for the in-form Ugbo would help them do so.
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