Player wants Sheffield Wednesday transfer & is ready to "give them a call" | OneFootball

Onel Hernandez revealed that he was close to signing for Sheffield Wednesday before he joined Charlton Athletic last season

Sheffield Wednesday's 2025/26 campaign was a struggle to say the least, as the club waded through the final months of Dejphon Chansiri's reign before facing six months of administration.

The majority of the Owls' senior squad was gutted this time last summer, with late wage payments leading to the likes of Josh Windass and Michael Smith ending their contracts by mutual consent.

Most of those who were out of contract didn't renew, and one of their few saleable assets, Djedi Gassama, was sold for just £2.2 million, but none of that money could be reinvested, with the club under embargo.

Indeed, Wednesday were stripped of players throughout the early stages of the campaign. Those who were under contract at Hillsborough were struggling to stay fit due to the enhanced physical demands of having to play almost every game, and the inexperienced youngsters who were thrown into the deep end, understandably, weren't able to keep pace.

It wouldn't be until late November that the club were granted special dispensation from the EFL to sign some free agents, with the league under increased pressure to try and level the playing field for the division's bottom side.

Sheffield Wednesday's transfer embargo stopped Onel Hernandez from signing for the Owls

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Despite their inability to sign players, Sheffield Wednesday were still able to invite free agents to train with them to keep their fitness in the hope that some positive news would come surrounding the permission to bring bodies to Hillsborough.

Onel Hernandez began the campaign as a free agent after his seven-and-a-half-year association with Norwich City came to an end during the summer, and he revealed that he spent time training with the Owls at the start of the campaign, via his TikTok.

The Cuban international hadn't played much the year before, but had over 210 Championship games under his belt, which would have been valuable for an inexperienced Wednesday squad in the early stages of the campaign.

However, because of the embargo placed on them, the 33-year-old couldn't make a move, and subsequently joined Charlton Athletic on a short-term deal in September, two months before Wednesday were granted special permission to sign players.

"Sheffield Wednesday — I was there before I went to Charlton," Hernandez said in response to a fan on his TikTok.

"I had a few training sessions there, and it was great, to be honest. Stayed a few days in Sheffield, a lovely City, and met [Barry] Bannan, legend of the club; it was good.

"Obviously, they couldn't sign any players at the time because of their struggles, but I was close to going there, so close. It is what it is."

Hernandez only made six appearances at the Valley, two of which were starts, and his contract wasn't renewed in January. He'd then move to Port Vale, where he contributed to an upturn in form under Jon Brady, but it wasn't enough to help the Valiants stay in League One.

How Sheffield Wednesday fans reacted to Onel Hernandez’s Sheffield Wednesday admission

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Hernandez is arguably one of the most candid footballers online currently. His TikTok account is dedicated to replying to fans with the type of personality that those in the professional game rarely provide.

In the comments of his video outlining how close he was to signing for the Hillsborough-based club, some Wednesday fans popped the question about him possibly signing on in South Yorkshire this summer, now that the Owls can sign players.

"Come Wednesday, this season pal would be perfect. We need about 15 signings," one fan wrote, to which Hernandez liked. "Why not try back at Wednesday now if they liked you then, why not now?" said another.

The 33-year-old actually replied to the latter, saying he'll "give them a call." However, Hernandez interacts with almost every comment in his easy-going way.

At Port Vale, Hernandez contributed massively and showed he was a level above his teammates technically. A move to a top-end third-tier side could be on the cards, but perhaps the window of opportunity to join Wednesday has passed.