Sheffield Wednesday’s standing in the League One club’s next season was confirmed almost two months ago, and their rebuilding may finally begin this weekend.

The Owls face West Brom on Saturday in the Championship season’s last game, and it’s expected to be a party atmosphere in front of a capacity crowd, with the Baggies having just avoided relegation and Wednesday hoping to celebrate a potential confirmed takeover as well.

The goal date for the takeover by US-based consortium Arise is this Friday, but even if the new owners arrive on the final day, there will be some uncertainties about the practicalities of the forthcoming transfer window at Hillsborough.

According to the Sheffield Star, sanctions on any wage caps or price restrictions have yet to be determined, as has the identity of a technical or sports director who will manage the business this summer.

However, in the meantime, manager Henrik Pedersen and his coaching team are working hard to prepare for when the window opens.

Henrik Pedersen discusses Sheffield Wednesday preparations for the next summer transfer window.

The majority of Hillsborough’s senior playing roster was decimated last summer in the last months of Dejphon Chansiri’s reign, and numerous transfer limitations have limited the Owls’ focus to the loan market this year, with players returning to their parent clubs in the summer.

Wednesday is set to start life in League. In August, the team conducted early scouting missions on third and fourth-tier games, as well as Under-21s fixtures, to prepare for a busy summer.”Throughout the season, we try to control what we can,” Henrik Pedersen told the Sheffield Star. “I think we have now seen 20, 25 League One games across the coaching team.”Kevin [Beadell, head of recruitment] is working in the background with his scouts, who have seen League One, under-21 games, and League Two. We want to prepare well for both free transfers and potential future opportunities.If there is something we can use to buy players, we will do everything we can to be as prepared as possible. But, of course, we’re looking forward to when the new owners’ signatures are completed so we can process, execute, and dig deeper into everything.”

Finally, with Wednesday’s fate secured weeks before anyone else in the EFL, their scouting missions have been limited, as certain players they’ve been looking at who were set to be out of contract a few months ago may sign new terms with their current club before the end of the season, for example.

Nonetheless, the Owls are doing everything they can to capitalize on their awful circumstance and move as far ahead as can before summer.

“Many clubs have games to stay in the league and get promoted. Many clubs have yet to begin planning for the upcoming season. Pedersen confessed that being relegated allows them to think.It will be adjusted tomorrow and next week so that other clubs can have more clarity. It has altered significantly in the last two weeks, and there is now more clarity. The market will move so rapidly that we must stay up to date every day and do everything we can to be as prepared as possible.”

Sheffield Wednesday are making the best of a poor situation ahead of next season.

The current situation of the transfer market isn’t the only lack of clarity hurting Sheffield Wednesday, as the Owls are still unsure whether they’ll be able to pay transfer fees or face a wage cap this summer.

What is certain so far is that Henrik Pedersen’s team will begin next season with a 15-point deficit and will enter the summer with a decimated squad in serious need of additional additions.

The notion of sliding into League Two is not one that Owls fans want to consider, and it appears that those at the club are adopting a similar mindset, as well, as they want to ensure they can hit the ground running with a good squad immediately when August begins.

The first step in achieving this goal is to execute the takeover, ideally before Friday’s deadline. The next aim will be to understand their current position in the transfer market.

Then, with the framework clearly laid for certain transfer targets ahead of the summer, the Owls can get to work, ensuring that they will at least remain in League One next season.