Sheffield Wednesday should unleash Danny Rohl signing against Bristol City after Harry Amass arrival | OneFootball

The signing of Harry Amass could allow Sheffield Wednesday to give Olaf Kobacki a chance in his preferred position against Bristol City.

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to secure their first win of the season when they return to Championship action this weekend against Bristol City.

It was a nightmare summer of off-field turmoil and financial problems for Wednesday that resulted in the departure of a host of key players, including the likes of Michael Ihiekwe, Marvin Johnson, Anthony Musaba, Djeidi Gassama, Josh Windass and Michael Smith.

With the Owls' ability to do business severely restricted by the EFL, they were only allowed to bring in two new signings this summer, with goalkeeper Ethan Horvath and defender Harry Amass joining on six-month loans from Cardiff City and Manchester United respectively, and manager Henrik Pedersen has been left with a threadbare squad of just 17 senior players.

While Wednesday have earned praise for their spirited performances in the early weeks of the season, they have picked up just one point from their opening four games, and only Steel City rivals Sheffield United are currently keeping them off the bottom of the Championship table.

It does not get much easier for the Owls as they host sixth-placed Bristol City at Hillsborough on Saturday, but although Gerhard Struber's unbeaten side will pose a tough test, the game could represent a big opportunity for winger Olaf Kobacki.

Harry Amass arrival could present Olaf Kobacki with a golden Sheffield Wednesday opportunity

Few Wednesday supporters had heard of Kobacki when he joined the club from Polish side Arka Gdynia last summer, but he was reportedly the subject of bids from fellow Championship sides Derby County and Norwich City before the South Yorkshire outfit won the race for his signature, which suggested that he is a highly-rated talent.

However, it was an underwhelming first season at Hillsborough for Kobacki as he failed to score or provide a single assist in 15 appearances for the Owls, and only six of those came from the start as he struggled to break into the team.

In fairness to Kobacki, he was not helped by persistent injury problems throughout the campaign, but many Wednesday supporters felt that he could not quite keep up with the pace or physicality of the Championship, as well as being unable to provide the quality needed from the wide areas.

After returning to full fitness, Kobacki has featured in all four league games so far this season, and despite starting in an unfamiliar left wing-back role, many felt he put in his best performance in an Owls shirt in the 2-0 defeat to Swansea City before the international break.

It was a poor display from Wednesday against the Swans, so the bar was relatively low, but Kobacki was one of his side's standout performers, and his willingness to press and dribble with the ball hinted at a player with increasing confidence who is slowly becoming more comfortable with the demands of the league.

It is safe to assume that Amass will be a regular for the Owls during his loan spell, and with the 18-year-old likely to go straight into the team against Bristol City, Kobacki could now be given the chance to impress in his preferred position.

Sheffield Wednesday should not write off Olaf Kobacki after underwhelming Hillsborough start

Like many of his team-mates, Kobacki is quickly having to adapt to being a first-team regular after previously being a fringe player due to the lack of depth in the squad, but having been thrown in at the deep end, the Polish youth international has performed well in difficult circumstances this season.

Kobacki may not have totally won over the Wednesday fan base just yet, but he will be needed this season if Pedersen's men are to somehow survive in the Championship against all the odds, and he has shown glimpses in the early stages of the campaign to suggest that he could be a big player in the year ahead.

Of course, Kobacki does not possess anywhere near the same quality as the likes of Musaba and Gassama, but he did score an impressive 16 goals and provide seven assists in 37 appearances in his final season for Arka Gdynia in the Polish second division, which convinced the Owls to bring him to Hillsborough.

With a season of second tier football under his belt and greater trust placed in him by Pedersen, Kobacki will now be hoping to rediscover that kind of form, and a consistent run of games in a more advanced position could be exactly what he needs to reignite his Wednesday career.

The Owls' best performance this season came in the second half of their 2-2 comeback draw at Wrexham last month when Pedersen switched to a back four, and the availability of a natural winger in Kobacki could allow the Dane to deploy that system more often, rather than the more defensive formation that has been forced on him for much of the campaign so far.

As things stand, the signing of Kobacki is largely viewed as a mistake by ex-Wednesday manager Danny Rohl, but as he now has a chance to nail down his place in the team, the 24-year-old can start to change the narrative and silence his doubters.