Henrik Pedersen, Sheffield Wednesday’s manager, has spoken out following his team’s 2-1 loss to local rivals United in the second Steel City Derby this season.

The writing had been on the wall for months, but there was some irony in the fact that Sheffield Wednesday’s mathematical relegation should have come at Bramall Lane, where a crowd of over 30,000 witnessed a tense game that Sheffield United won by two goals to one despite two red cards.

Wednesday entered the game knowing that a win would keep them in the division mathematically for one more game. Early goals from Patrick Bamford and Harrison Burrows threatened an avalanche of defeat, but Charlie McNeill responded with a second-half goal, and the club could at least leave the field of play with their heads held high. A battered first-team had given everything they could.

The bigger immediate task for Sheffield Wednesday is bringing the club under new ownership. The club’s administrators nominated a preferred bidder on Christmas Eve, but the approval process for the proposal, made by a group led by James Bord, has proven to be a lengthy one.

Henrik Pedersen speaks out following the Steel City Derby defeat that clinched relegation.

According to writer Dominic Howson’s post on the social networking platform X, Pedersen has spoken out on the club’s takeover.

“We are all looking forward to the next step for the football club.”

Pedersen’s statements would have struck a chord with Sheffield Wednesday fans, who are increasingly desperate for a return to normalcy after a horrific 2025-26 season, however whether Pedersen will remain in command following the club’s ownership is highly uncertain.

The club’s relegation from the Championship this season is thought to have been the earliest in a calendar year in the EFL’s 138-year history, beating the previous record of the 16th March, which was set by Stockport County in the 2001-02 First Division, though it should be noted that County ‘achieved’ this without receiving the sort of swingeing points deduction that Wednesday has been subjected to this season.

Henrik Pedersen has faced an uphill battle this season, but Sheffield Wednesday have still not been up to scratch.

The extent to which Sheffield Wednesday has faced an uphill battle this season has been widely known since the full scope of the club’s financial troubles was revealed last summer.

This season, the team has faced double the punishment. Not only did an 18-point deduction leave the club at the bottom of the Championship table, but the EFL’s transfer embargoes have severely limited their ability to bring in the calibre of players required to give them a fighting chance of staying up this season.

However, the team’s performance this season has been so poor that, as evidenced by the responses to Dominic Howson’s tweet, there are Wednesday fans who clearly believe the team’s performances have been subpar, even given the constraints under which the club has had to operate.

And the figures are striking. Sheffield Wednesday have only won one League match this season, a 2-0 victory at Portsmouth on September 20th. Charlie McNeill’s goal at Bramall Lane was their second in a competition since Boxing Day. Even after subtracting the 18-point deduction levied this season, they would still be 11 points behind fourth-bottom West Bromwich Albion and 23 points from safety.

Henrik Pedersen will continue to lead Sheffield Wednesday until the club’s takeover is completed, which is yet to be determined. It is entirely feasible that the EFL will not make a final decision on the fitness of the £32.5 million bid submitted by the consortium led by professional gambler James Bord until the end of the season.

Pedersen has faced an overwhelming obstacle this season, but many clubs have incurred significant points deductions in the past and yet managed to develop something resembling a competitive team, even if they were relegated.

However, while the Wednesday manager has received considerable forbearance due to the severity of the punishments imposed on his club this season, the unfortunate truth is that there have been few indications as to why any new owners would want to keep him as manager following any takeover, and football can be a ruthless business at the best of times.

It’s tough to say for definite, but Henrik Pedersen appears unlikely to be a part of Sheffield Wednesday’s fresh start under new ownership, regardless of when that occurs.