Sheffield Wednesday are still in talks with the EFL about what they may do in the January transfer window, but it appears unlikely that Dave Challinor will be able to make significant roster changes.

The Owls had a tremendously chaotic summer following Arise Capital Partners’ acquisition of the club at the end of the previous season.

A massive squad revamp followed, but Wednesday were limited by EFL rules in terms of what they could do, therefore the team was crammed with loan acquisitions and free moves.

Sheffield Wednesday have appointed Dave Challinor as their new manager.
Nonetheless, they have a high level of quality by League One standards, but an uneven start to the season cost Henrik Pedersen his job.

The Yorkshire club moved fast to replace him with Dave Challinor, and the former Stockport manager is preparing for his first FA Cup game in command of Oldham this Sunday.

While Challinor will be interested in a cup run, the league will be his top objective, and he hopes to return Wednesday to the Championship at the first attempt.

Sheffield Wednesday’s sports director, Simon Wilson, explains their January transfer plans.

In normal conditions, the new boss would keep one eye on the January timeframe, when he might wish to make a few changes to the group.

However, as previously noted, the position at Wednesday is unique due to the constraints, and the Sheffield Star has stated that the club is ‘near to the limit’ in terms of what they can spend.

Speaking to the same site, sporting director Simon Wilson said that they still don’t know how they would be able to support Challinor in the new year.

We’re not sure exactly what it is. We are continuously in communication with the league about the regulations and limitations. We clearly have the ability to modify the squad, just like anyone else. The window is open, so business can be done.

“At the moment, Dave has only just been in the building; he needs some time to analyse the roster and determine which players will be most valuable and where we have gaps. Then we’ll move into the window from there.”

Dave Challinor will back himself to get more out of Sheffield Wednesday’s present squad.

Obviously, this is not ideal for Wednesday, as most teams will have already made plans for January, and while the Owls may have players in mind, they do not yet know who they can bring in.

But Challinor won’t be too concerned because he’ll be focused on improving the players he’s inherited.

There is still a lot of quality on the Wednesday squad right now, and to their credit, the new owners have done a lot with the limitations they were given.

So Challinor believes he can still produce results from the present crop, and it will be intriguing to see which players gain from his appointment.

Then, when January arrives, you can be sure that Wednesday will do their best, but it appears that big changes are unlikely, which should not be a problem.