"It's not his fault" - Sheffield Wednesday fears raised as "symbolic" free agent signing nears | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has given his verdict on the potential signing of midfielder Mohamed Konate.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

It has been a nightmare summer for Sheffield Wednesday amid a host of off-field problems.

After finally paying the wages of players and staff for May and June and the money owed to HMRC, Wednesday have had two of their three transfer embargoes lifted, with just one remaining for the late payment of transfer fees to other clubs.

However, in a bid to raise funds to settle the outstanding salaries, under-fire Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri was forced to sell Anthony Musaba to Turkish side Samsunspor for £800,000 and Djeidi Gassama to Rangers for £2.2 million, while forwards Josh Windass and Michael Smith had their contracts at Hillsborough terminated last week after handing in their notices.

Wednesday were hit with a three-window ban on paying transfer fees last month, and they are one of only three Championship clubs who are yet to make a signing this summer, along with Leicester City and Middlesbrough, but according to The Star, the troubled South Yorkshire outfit are holding talks about whether to offer a deal to free agent midfielder Mohamed Konate following a short trial period.

Konate spent the second half of last season with Portuguese third tier side Covilha, but after being released at the end of his contract this summer despite helping them avoid relegation, he linked up with the Owls for pre-season, and it appears a decision on his future could now be imminent.

Sheffield Wednesday doubts expressed over potential Mohamed Konate deal

When asked for his thoughts on the potential signing of Konate, FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna admitted that he has doubts about whether the 20-year-old is good enough for the Championship, but, given the club's current plight, he claimed that further signings of a similar standard are likely this summer.

"I think this is kind of symbolic of where we are as a club that we're having to take such risks on unproven players," Patrick told FLW.

"It's not his fault that we are making this sort of signing.

"Of course, he is very experienced for the English game.

"The Portuguese third tier is a much lower level than the Championship, so it will be a huge step up for him in very challenging circumstances.

"At Sheffield Wednesday, he'll be playing in a weakened team with a lack of experience and professionals in the side to help him.

"The fact is that we, as fans, are going to have to get behind players like Konate this season and cheer them on.

"I'm very grateful that players are signing for us, so it's a case of good luck to him, and hopefully he can adapt to the game and his confidence won't be shattered if the team suffer a series of heavy defeats.

"I think we'll probably sign a few more players like him, so I don't think he'll be the last player of his ability we will sign in the near future."

Possible Mohamed Konate signing highlights desperate Sheffield Wednesday situation

Few Wednesday supporters will know much about Konate, so it would be wrong to judge him before he has even signed for the club, but it is fair to say that players who are released by a Portuguese third tier side do not often end up making the move to the Championship.

Having lost a number of their stars this summer in Musaba, Gassama, Windass and Smith, and with the financial and transfer restrictions they face, it will be incredibly difficult for the Owls to attract players of the standard required to give them a chance of survival next season.

Konate looks set to become Wednesday's first signing of the summer, but with fresh uncertainty over the future of manager Danny Rohl following the collapse of the club's proposed takeover, it is far from clear who is even making the decision on whether to offer him a contract.