Sheffield Wednesday latest: Double boost, ex-Man Utd man joins Rohl, Bannan contract
Newly-appointed manager Danny Rohl expresses his excitement about joining Sheffield Wednesday and describes his first impression of Hillsborough as amazing.
Rohl wastes no time and adds Sascha Lense as the club’s new Performance Manager, who has previously worked with top clubs like Schalke, Red Bull Leipzig, and Manchester United.
Sheffield Wednesday captain Bannan reveals that his new contract does not have an automatic extension clause, but his focus is on winning games and helping the team climb out of the relegation zone.
The past few weeks have certainly been eventful for those connected to Sheffield Wednesday.
Following a challenging start to life back in the Championship that saw them fail to win any of their first ten league games of the season, Xisco Munoz was sacked as the club’s manager, just a few months after his appointment at Hillsborough.
Caretaker manager Neil Thompson then oversaw a goalless draw with Huddersfield Town in the final game before the October international break, which was not enough to lift the Owls off the bottom of the Championship table.
Last week then saw Danny Rohl officially appointed as the Owls’ new manager, and he is now preparing for a first game in charge away at Watford on Saturday afternoon.
As a result, there has been plenty to talk about around Hillsborough recently, and we’ve taken a look at some of the latest Sheffield Wednesday news, right here.
Rohl speaks out after appointment
Rohl’s appointment as Wednesday’s new manager was officially confirmed on Friday, and it seems the German had been waiting for this chance for some time.
Speaking to the Owls’ media channels, the German admitted it had been a long process in the lead-up to his appointment, but that he had held positive talks with club chairman Dejphon Chansiri.
Rohl also expressed his happiness at being at a “traditional” club such as Wednesday, while describing his first impression of Hillsborough as “amazing”.
Lense added to backroom staff
It seems Rohl has wasted no time in putting his own mark on Wednesday’s backroom staff following his appointment.
On Monday, it was announced that Sascha Lense has been appointed as the club new Performance Manager, beginning work with the squad immediately.
After a playing career that saw him make over 100 appearances in the German second-tier, Lense has previously worked as a Sports Psychologist with the likes of Schalke, Red Bull Leipzig and Manchester United.
Bannan issues contract update
Bannan is now into his ninth season with Sheffield Wednesday, having triggered a clause in his contract to extend it by a further 12 months during the previous campaign.
Providing an update on his current situation however, the Owls captain revealed there is no such clause in his new contract, meaning the player and club will have to come to a new agreement, if he is to extend his stay at Hillsborough beyond next summer.
However, Bannan has insisted that is not a priority for him right now, with the Scotsman instead focused on getting the wins the Owls need to climb out of the Championship relegation zone.
Double injury boost for Wednesday
Both Bannan and Josh Windass have missed Wednesday’s last three games due to injury, with both proving signficant absences for the Owls.
However, a video released by Wednesday showcasing Rohl’s first training session with the club revealed both are back in training, suggesting they are closing in on a return to action.
Meanwhile, those clips also revealed that left-back Marvin Johnson, exiled under Munoz, now looks to be back in contention for selection under Rohl.
