Sheffield Wednesday should rival Sheffield United in centre-back race this summer
Sheffield Wednesday have re-signed Di’Shon Bernard. But Danny Rohl is still quite light at centre-back.
Di’Shon Bernard has signed a new contract with Sheffield Wednesday after his previous deal expired at the end of June.
The Jamaican international technically becomes the Owls’ 10th signing of the summer so far, in what’s been a very positive summer transfer window for the club.
Sheffield Wednesday though still seem to be quite light at centre-back, with Danny Rohl‘s options in the middle currently being Bernard, Bambo Diaby, Michael Ihiekwe, Akin Famewo, and Dominic Iorfa.
Should Rohl stick with the 5-2-2-1 formation that saw his side get over the line in the Championship last season, then he’ll surely want another one or two centre-backs arriving this summer.
That may be especially so with the likes of Iorfa being somewhat injury prone, and Ihiekwe too.
There’s options out there for Rohl and Sheffield Wednesday, and one of Sheffield United’s apparent transfer targets may actually be a perfect addition at Hillsborough.
Sheffield Wednesday must move for Sheffield United target Harry Souttar
Sheffield United and Stoke City are reportedly among the teams eyeing Harry Souttar at Leicester City.
The 25-year-old, 30-cap Australian international featured just three times for Leicester City in the Championship last time round.
A couple of serious injuries have derailed Souttar’s last few years following his promising breakthrough with Stoke City, which led to his big-money move to Leicester in 2022.
The Foxes are keen to send Souttar out on loan for the 2024/25 season.
Why Harry Souttar would be perfect for Sheffield Wednesday
Souttar is a real presence at the back; standing at 6ft4 and having made a name for himself as a goal-scoring centre-back too, with 11 for Australia alone.
He’s lso a centre-back who’s confident on the ball and confident playing out from the back.
During his 2021/22 season with Stoke City in which he was really starting to shine before injury, Souttar averaged 53.8 passes-per-game, compared to Bernard for example who averaged 33.4 last season.
Souttar then could potentially slot into a Rohl system very nicely. It could be a good move for him to come and get some first-team minutes with the centre-back position still largely up for grabs, especially if Rohl plays three of them, and a good move for Leicester too as they’ll know Souttar would be playing a very modern style at Wednesday.
Sheffield Wednesday also suffered from set-pieces last time round, so having someone as tall as Souttar could be really beneficial at both ends of the pitch.
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The 5 things Sheffield Wednesday fans should look out for vs Werder Bremen
Sheffield Wednesday take on Werder Bremen in Austria on Friday afternoon, in their second-to-last pre-season friendly.
Sheffield Wednesday are back in Austria once more where they face German Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen.
It’s Danny Rohl‘s second-to-last pre-season friendly with his Sheffield Wednesday first-team squad, who then face Leganes in Liam Palmer’s testimonial match.
The Owls’ kick off their 2024/25 Championship season with a game vs Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle at Hillsborough next month.
But before that, here are five things Sheffield Wednesday fans should look out for in the game v Werder Bremen…
Di’Shon Bernard inclusion for Sheffield Wednesday
Di’Shon Bernard has signed a new contract with Sheffield Wednesday, putting pen-to-paper on a three-year deal after his previous contract expired at the end of last month.
He’s yet to play in pre-season for the Owls, having played in Copa America with Jamaica earlier in the summer.
But Bernard is now with the squad and looks set to feature vs Werder Bremen, possibly from the off.
