47-year-old facing scary task at Sheffield Wednesday | OneFootball

Henrik Pedersen is about to embark on what could be one of the most daunting challenges in English football management history

47-year-old Danish coach Henrik Pedersentestet is about to embark on what could be one of the most daunting challenges in English football management history.

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Following confirmation of his appointment as Sheffield Wednesday's new manager with immediate effect, Pedersen inherits a threadbare squad that appears to be at breaking point.

Wednesday currently have just 16 players listed on their first team website - that includes the likes of Sean Fusire and Bailey Cadamarteri - the former only featured for the Owls in the Carabao Cup last season, playing four times.

Pedersen's challenge to find goals next season

Disregarding the off-field problems for the time being, Wednesday are in the midst of a summer exodus that has seen key figures like Josh Windass, Michael Smith, Djeidi Gassama and Anthony Musava depart.

Only Gassama and Musaba left for a fee, but it wasn't much. Rangers picked Gassma up for a reported £2.2m, while Musaba left for Turkish side Samsunspor for £800k.

The duo of Windass and Smith, who are now at Wrexham and Preston, contributed to 30 direct goal contributions between them last season - half of Wednesday's total goals scored in 24/25 - 60.

Using FotMob data, Ike Ugbo, Charlie McNeill, Olaf Kobacki and Cadamarteri - the current forward options at the club - scored just three goals between them in the league last season, albeit Cadamarteri only featured once before going on loan to Lincoln City.

Even then, it seems increasingly certain each passing day that more players could leave the club before the start of the season, especially since they won't be getting paid on time again.

Wages delayed again for Pederson's players

As per BBC Radio Sheffield, Sheffield Wednesday players have now been told they won't receive their wages for July on time, marking the fourth time in five months that payments have been delayed.

Pederson told local media upon confirmation of his appointment that Wednesday find themselves in "rough waters" at the moment, referring to his Viking ancestors when saying "stormy seas don't bother us too much."

Whether the new boss can convince those players still at the club to stick around after another month of late payments remains to be seen - as six players handed in their notices following two consecutive months of unpaid wages at the start of July.

Adding to Pedersen's woes, the Owls face the new season with their North Stand at Hillsborough closed, after Sheffield City Council issued a prohibition notice due to "extensive corrosion" found in the roof structure.

It's very understandable if some fans aim to protest the games anyway by not turning up, but the closure obviously affects thousands of season ticket holders who've renewed and any further revenue from solo tickets.

Pedersen not really in the position to sign players

Perhaps most critically, Wednesday are under heavy EFL sanctions that will make squad rebuilding virtually impossible.

The club face a three-window transfer restriction running until January 2027, meaning they cannot spend any money on signings, regardless of whether they are permanent deals or loans.

They're also limited to a maximum squad size of 23 players and can only pay new signings around £7k-per-week, according to The Star.

However, it wouldn't be surprising if further restrictions are added, as the three-window ban was put in place because of the earlier missed wage payments.

Pedersen's managerial experience won't exactly fill Wednesday fans with confidence, although he has to be respected for taking on the challenge. The Dane's overall win percentage stands at 31.63% across 196 matches as a head coach.

Ultimately, Pedersen has precious little time to address virtually everything before Leicester Away on August 10th - and how he will do without the majority of the squad that finished 12th last season is another question in itself.