The Dave Challinor opportunity Sheffield Wednesday can’t afford to ignore | OneFootball

Dave Challinor won't be the new Blackburn Rovers boss, and Sheffield Wednesday should be eager to appoint him to oversee their rebuild in League One

Despite reports throughout last week, Dave Challinor will not be managing Blackburn Rovers next season, as the Championship side announced the return of Tony Mowbray as their new head coach.

Indeed, the former Stockport County boss was heavily linked with a move to Ewood Park following his departure from the Hatters, with it being almost a formality that his next move would be to a Championship club after his successes as a manager up the footballing pyramid.

But now, with the Blackburn vacancy taken, the door for a second-tier move this summer looks incredibly narrow for the 50-year-old.

Only Watford and Burnley are now without men in the dugout ahead of the new season, and it only seems like a matter of time before the Hornets have their man too, with former Empoli boss Alessio Dionisi agreeing terms last week.

While Challinor is a highly-rated manager, a move to a recently relegated Premier League side could be a step too far right now, and the Clarets will fancy themselves to attract someone with a lot more Championship experience than him.

So, where does the former Stockport boss go now? In his departure, he said he was going to enjoy spending some time away with his family, and he'd be ready to approach what comes next "when the right opportunity arises." That opportunity should come in the form of Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield Wednesday should make tough Henrik Pedersen decision in the wake of Dave Challinor's availability

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No one can take away the difficult year that Henrik Pedersen has had as Sheffield Wednesday boss, as the Dane had the perilous task of guiding the Owls on the field amidst all the drama and uncertainty off of it.

The 48-year-old had the vast majority of his senior squad gutted during the final few months of Dejphon Chansiri's reign and then had to manage the side through their six-month period of administration, which was filled with doubts about who would take over and what further sanctions would be imposed on the club afterwards.

Throughout all that, he had to be a positive figure amongst a depleted group filled with inexperienced youngsters and lacking confidence, as off-field worries bled into their performances, leading the Owls to win just one of their first 45 league games last season.

But now, with light finally at the end of the tunnel following the takeover by the Arise consortium ahead of the final day of the season, things are looking up for Wednesday, and that positivity was seen immediately with their second win of the campaign against West Brom.

Some believe that Pedersen has earned the right to have a crack with the reformed Owls side and lead the club into the new era, but with Challinor now seemingly available for a League One club, Wednesday shouldn't let sentiment get in the way of bringing in the best possible manager to oversee the project.

The former Stockport boss has a glowing track record of getting clubs into the play-offs and knows how to coach a good third-tier side, albeit falling just short both times in the last two years.

With the resources and status of a club like Wednesday, though, you'd feel that Challinor could get them back into the Championship at the first time of asking, whereas with Pedersen, there's still some uncertainty surrounding his capabilities. Obviously, last season was a write-off, but there's no guarantee he has the skillset to oversee an immediate promotion.

Sheffield Wednesday's imminent sporting director appointment could open the door for Dave Challinor's appointment

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Ultimately, it'll be down to the new higher-ups at Hillsborough whether Pedersen continues as manager ahead of the new season. If those above the Dane feel that someone new should come in, they won't hesitate to go in a different direction.

With former Stockport chief executive Simon Wilson heavily reported to be Wednesday's new sporting director, a move for Challinor would seemingly be a no-brainer.

Wilson's tenure at Edgeley Park coincided with the appointment of the 50-year-old in 2021 with the Hatters in the National League. In that time, Wilson's strategy as the sporting director and then the chief exec, alongside Challinor's ability in the dugout, led Stockport to two titles and three play-off near misses in five years.

The two clearly have a good relationship, and with a potential Challinor appointment, the foundations will already be laid between the board and the manager before pre-season begins, eliminating any teething problems at a time when the Owls will need to hit the ground running to rebuild a squad ready to attack the third tier come August.

It'll be a difficult decision to part ways with Pedersen, but the new ownership needs to be ruthless in their pursuit to bring the club back to where they believe it belongs. Hiring Challinor would be a good first step in that project.