"We definitely need" - Sheffield Wednesday, Danny Rohl sent January transfer demand | OneFootball

The Owls have been hit by injuries of late, and will need to strengthen in the new year

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…

With just a matter of weeks before the January transfer window, all clubs in the EFL will already have started making a wish list in terms of mid-season demands to strengthen their side for the second half of the campaign.

Sheffield Wednesday will be no different in that regard, with the Owls likely to be forced into the market to add some depth to their squad, given the injuries that boss Danny Rohl has had to deal with of late.

It has been in the backline that the Yorkshire outfit has been hardest hit of late, with a number of first-team stars forced to sit on the sidelines due to setbacks, leaving the Hillsborough side lacking in numbers from a defensive point of view.

With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna about his thoughts on any transfer activity in the new year, and what area needs to be prioritised.

Sheffield Wednesday need to bolster defensive options in January

Wednesday have had their fair share of worries from a defensive point of view this season, with a number of players suffering injuries that have ruled them out for large swathes of the season.

Akin Famewo is one of the latest to be dealt a blow, with the 26-year-old forced off within half an hour of the 2-1 victory against Portsmouth last month, with the defender set for a lengthy spell out of action after suffering a hamstring injury.

Having been a solid performer during the first part of the season, Famewo’s loss will be huge for Rohl, as he joins Michael Ihiekwe in the medical room in the Steel City, although the latter is thought to be ready for a return to action before too long.

The former Rotherham United man had been out of action since September, and despite his anticipated arrival back into first-team matters, McKenna believes defensive reinforcements are needed before too long.

When asked where the club need to focus their attention in January, the Owls fan said: “One position I think we definitely need to strengthen is at centre-back; this is especially a cause of concern now with the long-term injury to Akin Famewo, who had come in and been in absolutely fantastic form - the best form of his Wednesday career.

“Michael Ihiekwe is just coming back to fitness as well, so that would need to be managed, and there is always a risk that he could pick up a fresh injury, and Dominic Iorfa’s injury record during his time here isn’t great.

“After that you are down to Di’Shon Bernard, and in some games we have been resorting to three centre-backs, so this is seeing us bring in players like Yan Valery and Max Lowe to play, and they are not natural centre-backs.

“As we have seen this season, in some games we can be quite nervy at the back, we are making basic mistakes which has led to basic collapses, and we have a poor record defending from corners, so if we got in a centre-back who could show some experience and leadership in how to deal with corners and switch on it would add a great deal.”

Sheffield Wednesday’s defensive worries could come back to haunt them

With Famewo [pictured] ruled out for the foreseeable future, Wednesday will need to try and keep a tight ship until January, although that is proving much easier said than done at this moment in time.

Only three sides have conceded more than the Owls in 24/25, with Plymouth Argyle, Portsmouth, and Luton Town all shipping goals for fun, while Queens Park Rangers match Wednesday with 25 goals allowed so far.

As McKenna eluded to above, it is dead-ball situations where Wednesday are suffering the most, with a league-leading ten goals being let in from set-piece situations, with that lack of organisation and fragility at the back being exposed time and time again.

What Wednesday need right now is a leader; someone who can keep his teammates switched on when they need to be and command a penalty area to avoid allowing cheap goals week in, week out.

With defenders light on the ground at Hillsborough at the moment, strengthening that area has to be a priority for Rohl and his recruitment team in January, and McKenna believes it is a deal that needs to be done sooner rather than later.

He continued: “It is essential because we don’t want to keep up defensive weaknesses which are bugging us a bit and we are light in numbers in this area and susceptible to injuries.

“I would struggle to pick out a replacement, I can’t think of one in particular name, but for any replacement we will be dipping into the free agent or the loan market, so it could well be a name that no one has heard of before.

“It could be a bit of a risk with the signing, it could well be a player who hasn’t played in England before, so it would certainly be a position of interest, and hopefully we cam get someone in as soon as possible in that position.”