Football League World
·18 de septiembre de 2024
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·18 de septiembre de 2024
Maccabi Tel-Aviv have a 'genuine' interest in Sheffield Wednesday's Pol Valentin.
The interest from Maccabi Tel Aviv in Sheffield Wednesday’s Pol Valentin is ‘genuine’, although it’s still unclear what sort of fee would convince the Championship side to sell.
The 27-year-old joined the Owls from Sporting Gijon in the summer transfer window in 2023, and he has gone on to make almost 50 appearances for the club.
Whilst he didn’t always convince initially, Valentin featured regularly for Danny Rohl as Wednesday defied the odds to stay in the league last season.
However, there are doubts about his future, as reporter Angel Garcia revealed, as quoted by the Sheffield Star, that Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv are keen on the player.
The local paper has confirmed that the interest is real ahead of the Israeli transfer window closing.
“The Star understands that Maccabi’s interest is genuine, however it remains to be seen what kind of offer would have to come the Owls’ way in order for them to consider letting Valentin go considering they have no proper chance to replace him given that the English window is now closed.”
Even though Valentin has been in and out the side this season, Rohl made it clear after the League Cup win over Blackpool that he wants to keep the player, as it reiterated the need for competition for places at Hillsborough.
“No. He is part of my squad. We need the competition at the right full back position. That's for me, no. No question mark,” he told journalist Rob Staton.
Despite Rohl’s stance, the situation is complicated by the fact that Valentin’s deal with Wednesday expires at the end of the season.
Therefore, if an attractive offer is put to the player by Maccabi Tel Aviv, it may be something he has to consider, and if he did push for a move, it could change the dynamic for Rohl, who will only want players in his squad that want to be there.
As well as that, it may mean the player and his agent push for a new contract at Hillsborough, so it will be interesting to see if that happens.
Ultimately though, as it stands, Wednesday are risking letting Valentin leave on a free next summer, and even in January they may not get a decent fee for the Spaniard as he could sign a pre-contract with clubs outside England.
After the opening day thrashing of Plymouth, where the Owls were superb, things have been tough for Rohl’s side, who are yet to win in the league since, although they have won two League Cup ties.
Nevertheless, it seems that Rohl is still trying to work out his best team, and that’s understandable after a summer of change at the club.