Sheffield Wednesday should try sign ex-Leicester City star - one issue may prevent move though | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday should look the way of Daniel Amartey as a free agent but his wages could be a hurdle

Sheffield Wednesday are constantly monitoring the free agent market due to transfer restrictions placed upon them, waiting for the green-light from the EFL to finally bolster their squad.

With Sheffield Wednesday's time of turmoil slowly easing off, the goal is very much about recuperation for the Owls, who have been severely restricted in terms of their transfer activity due to embargoes placed upon them because of their former owner, Dejphon Chansiri, who departed the club in the midst of never-ending financial struggles.

Because of transfer embargoes, summer business was sparse for the Owls, who only managed to secure loan deals for Manchester United starlet Harry Amass and goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.

This lack of activity in the transfer market, combined with the 12-point deduction due to filing for administration, has made the 2025/26 campaign a long season ahead, with their Championship survival hopes all-but over even at this early stage. However, Wednesday are looking to revitalise the club, not just in monetary terms, but also with their personnel.

Sheffield Wednesday should look to secure former Leicester City defender Daniel Amartey... if allowed

When looking down the list of free agents, there are plenty of names with vast amounts of Premier League and Championship experience that would be solid options for Wednesday in the short-term.

Owls boss Henrik Pedersen would love to add to his extremely thread-bare Wednesday team and has room to do so in their incomplete 25-man squad. With several transfer and registration-themed embargoes placed upon them, the club's administrators share the same way of thinking over the chance of trying to sign free agents as soon as possible.

For the here and now, however, the Owls are currently unable to register any new players to their first team squad due to restrictions placed on them by the EFL. According to journalist, Joe Crann, Sheffield Wednesday were unable to receive a definitive answer on the possibility of signing free agents in a meeting with the EFL a couple of days ago.

The Owls have reportedly been monitoring various names without a club at the moment, including former Manchester United full-back, Timothy Fosu-Mensah as well as ex-Cardiff City man Andy Rinomhota.

If the Owls are eventually able to conduct any kind of business, one thing for sure is that it will be risk-free due to the low cost the signing would bring. The only hurdle is the wages that an incomer may bring with them. Whoever they manage to get through the door at Hillsborough would be a win-win for both the club and player.

One man that stands out, however, is former Leicester City defender Daniel Amartey, who has been without a club this year as well as the last. The Ghanaian international has racked up 55 caps for his country and played just shy of 50 times for the Foxes, making him a more than capable player to shore up Sheffield Wednesday's leaky defence.

Amartey is 30, and you'd seem to think that the centre-back still has a few years of his career left in the tank as he proved that he can still play at a top level when with Turkish giants Besiktas in the 2023/24 season. Amartey made 18 league appearances that season and continued to be a powerful presence at the back as he showed with Leicester in the Premier League.

You'd say that the Owls' defence is one of their stronger areas, despite conceding the most goals in the Championship this season, due to having seasoned professionals in their ranks, such as the likes of Dominic Iorfa, Liam Palmer, and Max Lowe, who have been regular starters in Henrik Pedersen's fresh era.

However, Amartey can add to the manager's defensive options and slot into the back three at ease because he was a big presence for Besiktas not too long ago. During his time in Turkey, the Ghanaian won 73.3% of his aerial duels and was only dribbled past twice in those 18 matches, highlighting that he is a tough man to beat both in the air and on the ground.

As well as his capabilities on the ball, the leadership qualities that he would present to Sheffield Wednesday would give the Owls a big boost of morale in the dressing room throughout a difficult period in the club's rich history.

Daniel Amartey to Sheffield Wednesday could present one major issue for the Owls

One potential issue, though, if Sheffield Wednesday were to pursue the free transfer of Amartey is the wage bill that comes with it. During his time with Leicester, as per Capology, Amartey earned an estimated $27,154 [£23,488] per week and when making the switch to the Turkish league, that figure rose to $50,649 [£43,811].

Comparing the figure to those already at Hillsborough, the club's highest earner is, unsurprisingly, the club captain, Barry Bannan, on £25,000. Therefore, if Amartey were to join the Owls on a short-term deal, you'd seem to think that he would have to take a major pay cut from his last pay cheque in Turkey not only due to the size of the club, but also because of Wednesday's ongoing financial constraints.

From Wednesday's perspective, although they are unable to pay transfer fees due to financial restrictions, securing any further experience at the Championship level, which Amartey has, would sure go down well with the rest of the squad as reinforcements are much-needed at this time.

If Wednesday are given the opportunity to recoup and set up their squad for the future, then Pedersen and his side could have a good chance of achieving an immediate return to the second tier next season.