Sheffield Wednesday handed big EFL boost - it comes just in time to play Sheffield United | OneFootball

The Owls are looking to add free agents to their squad ahead of next week's Steel City derby

Sheffield Wednesday have reportedly been given the all-clear to add two free agents to their threadbare squad ahead of next Sunday's Steel City derby with Sheffield United at Hillsborough.

That is according to a fresh update from Rob Staton of BBC Radio Sheffield, in what would be a major boost to Henrik Pedersen and his Owls players going into the mother of all games in this part of the world.

It has been an extremely torrid start to the campaign for both Sheffield clubs due to varying circumstances, although Wednesday still find themselves 14 points behind the Blades at present after being hit with an automatic 12-point deduction on October 24th after they entered administration.

However, such circumstances have well and truly changed the mood in S6, with supporters extremely buoyant as Dejphon Chansiri's controversial ownership was brought to a close, with the Owls currently in the interim hands of Begbies Traynor, fronted by Paul Stanley, Julian Pitts and lifelong Wednesdayite, Kris Wigfield.

Unsurprisingly, developments off the pitch continue to take priority for those currently in the boardroom and in the stands, with November 21st set as a soft deadline for potential bidders, who must demonstrate at least £50m in proof of funds before takeover talks crank up further notches.

On the pitch, though, Pedersen's side have continuously been praised for going about their business as calmly and professionally as possible throughout an extremely unsettling period, which has seen them pick up two points from their past three games against West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City and Southampton.

It would be viewed as one of the high points of the season should they add further woes to Chris Wilder's own struggles since the 58-year-old returned to Bramall Lane in September, and the chances of doing so could be enhanced by the aforementioned set of developments.

Sheffield Wednesday set to add free agent duo ahead of Sheffield United derby

Since taking over from Danny Rohl in August, Pedersen has been left with an extremely thin squad due to a multitude of transfer and registration restrictions imposed on the club by the EFL as a result of several instances of delayed wage payments in the final months of Chansiri's tenure.

This meant that the Owls were also unable to add free agents to a squad made up of a handful of experienced figures, such as Barry Bannan, Liam Palmer and Dominic Iorfa, and some highly-rated prospects from the Under-21s.

As such, the only incomings made throughout a turbulent summer were that of Ethan Horvath and Harry Amass on loan from Cardiff City and Manchester United, with the Red Devils also agreeing to pay all of Amass' wages throughout his first senior loan due to the Owls being cash-strapped.

Recently, it was claimed that former target, Liam Cooper, was primed to join Wednesday as the trio of administrators remained in dialogue with the EFL over the possibility of signing free agents, before they were handed a swift timescale blow days later.

Since then, reports had emerged that ex-Manchester United defender, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, and other free agents had been earmarked, whilst former defender, Jack Hunt, has been training at Middlewood Road.

However, in a timely boost ahead of next weekend's highly-anticipated Steel City clash in front of a packed-out Hillsborough crowd, Pedersen is now expected to add two free transfers to his squad, with the EFL giving clearance for the club to do so, albeit their identity is yet to be revealed.

It was hard to imagine that any sense of positivity was forthcoming at Hillsborough just a few short weeks ago, but this is exactly what is playing out ahead of the biggest game of the season thus far for both sides.

Regardless of the positions which the new additions feature in, it is a huge boost for Pedersen due to the limited numbers at his disposal, which has only increased due to recent injuries and managing the workload of his players.

United, of course, have ironically dipped into the free agent market themselves this week, with Patrick Bamford penning a short-term contract until January for the time being, as Wilder looks to address his side's own shortcomings.

The Owls haven't beaten the Blades since February 2012 in a League One clash, meaning they will be more desperate than ever to end such a dire recent record.