Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal is still remembered fondly by many Owls fans.

Carvalhal was a relative unknown when he took over at Hillsborough in June 2015, and his appointment was not universally well received by Wednesday fans, many of whom were dissatisfied with the choice to replace beloved former manager Stuart Gray.

Carvalhal quickly won over the doubters, leading the Owls to sixth place in the Championship in his first year in charge, but after defeating Brighton & Hove Albion in the play-off semi-finals, his side suffered heartbreak when they were defeated 1-0 by Hull City in the final at Wembley Stadium.

Wednesday continued to improve under Carvalhal the following season, finishing fourth, although they were once again eliminated from the play-offs, this time losing on penalties to Huddersfield Town in the semi-finals.

That would mark the beginning of a fall for the Owls, as Carvalhal left the club by mutual consent in December 2017 following a poor first half of the season, having won 56, drawn 37, and lost 38 of his 131 games as manager.

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Carvalhal has had a busy nine years since his Wednesday left, managing Swansea City, Rio Ave, Al-Wahda, Celta Vigo, and Olympiacos, as well as two periods in charge of Braga.

While Carvalhal has not managed in English football since leaving Swansea in 2018, he was linked with a sensational return to Wednesday in June 2023 following their promotion to the Championship, but then-owner Dejphon Chansiri quickly denied the rumours, claiming that the 60-year-old had “no chance” of returning to Hillsborough.

Despite the Owls’ relegation from the Championship this season, Carvalhal expressed his fondness for the South Yorkshire club during a talkSPORT interview this week.Carvalhal expressed his affection for the Championship, stating, “I stay in love with the Championship, of course the Premier (League) is the Premier, but the Championship, I stay in love with the teams and the fight.”Especially with the supporters, since I was with a club that is a big, and they have a huge fan base, even though they will be in League One. It’s a Premier League club for me, but I’m very passionate about it. I watched the last game. I believe they played away; they have a full allocation. “It is unbelievable.”

Carvalhal reaffirmed Wednesday’s status as a “giant” club on social media on Saturday, citing his talkSPORT interview video.”SWFC, even in League One, will always be a giant,” wrote Carvalhal on X.

Sheffield Wednesday supporters may always have serious Carlos Carvalhal regrets.

Chansiri may have ruined his reputation among Wednesday fans with his actions prior to placing the club into administration in October, but the recruitment of Carvalhal was perhaps his best decision during his decade-long career at Hillsborough.

Carvalhal not only took the club to the Premier League, but he also developed a team that played an appealing, attacking style of football, and he will be remembered warmly by Owls fans.

However, there may be some regret among Wednesday fans for clamoring for Carvalhal to leave during his poor third season, especially given that the club has never hit the same heights since his departure, and he was arguably a victim of his own success.