"When he has got stick" - Factor that should land Callum Paterson a new Sheffield Wednesday deal revealed | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday pundit has told the club to take contract action one a particular Owls star.

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…

Callum Paterson has proven to be an excellent servant to Sheffield Wednesday ever since arriving at Hillsborough from Cardiff City in September 2020.

The versatile Owls forward played a key role in helping the club win promotion back to the Championship in the 2022/23 season, and has shown himself to be a solid and dependable option in the second tier.

However, the 30-year-old ex-Scotland international is out of contract with Wednesday in the summer, and having seen his role in the team diminish slightly this term, there are question marks over whether he will be handed fresh terms.

It's understood that Paterson would be keen to stick around with the Owls should he be presented with a new contract.

"So committed" - Key factor as to why Sheffield Wednesday should hand Callum Paterson new deal revealed

We asked our Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick McKenna: 'Callum Paterson said to be keen on earning/signing a new deal with Wednesday. His contract expires in the summer and was a peripheral figure until recently, where he's started under Rohl more often. His versatility is useful - should he be offered a new deal or not?'

McKenna said: "In regards to Callum Paterson earning a new deal. I've got to say, I absolutely love Callum Paterson, as a player and a person.

"I've always been a fan of Paterson. When he has got stick from Wednesday fans, no he's always been a favourite of mine. He's just always so committed. Never complains.

"I think this is something that he deserves a lot of credit for under Danny Rohl, where his chances have been limited. But has he complained once? No, never.

"Never in an interview has he dropped a hint that he was sulking, you never see negative body language from him. It's just a case of when he gets his chance, whether it's a rare start or as a sub, he just bounds onto the pitch and just gets absolutely stuck in.

"Honestly, I kind of think this alone really should help him earn a contract."

Swiss Army Knife players always prove to be worth their weight in gold - Patterson is that for Wednesday

The Championship is an unforgiving and testing division, and so having a do-it-all player in your squad is always such an important component of a successful side.

Whether it's in defence, midfield or attack, Paterson can and has played any role that his manager has asked of him during his Wednesday career, and more often than not, he's performed his duties well.

"His versatility - that is massive," McKenna continued. "He has shown he's capable of playing right wing-back, you can stick him into midfield, you can stick him up front.

"With a squad like ours, it generally can be quite thin and susceptible to injury, to have a guy that can just step in - I don't think you can underestimate the value of that. It's almost as important as having a star player who maybe gets 20 goals a season.

"Maybe they get all the headlines, all the praise, but you've really got to give credit to the guy who is willing to go on playing any position without a grumble. He's just completely committed.

"I''ve pointed out how much I love the guy, and I'm not going to argue that he is the most talented player in the squad, but you can just see recently he's been getting important goals.

"He's making some really vital contributions to the season. So right now, I think he's earning his starting place. I think he's certainly shown that he is worth a new contract.

"His superb attitude, his versatility and as I mentioned, he might not be the most out and out talented player in the squad, but I think sometimes he is underrated.