Glenn Loovens names the ex-Sheffield Wednesday teammate that’s like ‘family’ | OneFootball

Glenn Loovens has opened up on his time at Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday are planning for life in League One following a disastrous Championship campaign.

The Owls went into administration in October and a change in owner wasn’t completed until right before the final game of the season against West Brom.

The Yorkshire outfit marked the beginning of a new era with a 2-1 victory against the Baggies at Hillsborough, their first and only win in front of their home fans this year.

Henrik Pedersen’s side ended the term with zero points, with relegation confirmed as early as February as they struggled to get results.

But there is now a sense of optimism around the club, with the group led by David Storch now in charge in place of Dejphon Chansiri.

Former players have come out of the woodwork to back the club under new owners, and others like Glenn Loovens will be hoping for a positive step forward for Sheffield Wednesday next season.

Glenn Loovens names Sheffield Wednesday teammate that’s like family

Loovens joined Sheffield Wednesday in 2013 from Spanish side Real Zaragoza, and he enjoyed a positive five-year stint at Hillsborough.

He was part of the team that achieved back-to-back top six finishes in the Championship under Carlos Carvalhal in 2016 and 2017.

The now 42-year-old made a total of 131 appearances in the league for the club as they missed out on promotion on both occasions they reached the play-offs.

The Dutchman has opened up on how he still has a familial bond with former teammates like Adthe Nuhui, Ross Wallace and Barry Bannan.

He claimed that the group he played with at Sheffield Wednesday shared a special bond, and they have remained close even years after they’ve all stopped playing for the Owls.

“I still speak regularly with Adthe Nuhui,” said Loovens, via The Star.

“He's practically family.

“I still speak to Ross Wallace quite a bit and Barry.

“So there are people in that squad I still speak to a lot and that’s not always how it goes in football. We really had a tight group, I would say.

“You know, I've done it, I played for 20 years almost and I have to say we had a special group where everybody had the same idea and same goal in mind to achieve something that season - not only that season but a couple of seasons.

“So, I think we really had a good group.

“That was off the pitch too.

“Big characters and we were really tight.”

Loovens featured 31 and 32 times in the Championship in the two campaigns in which the club earned a top six finish.

However, a defeat to Hull City in the final and Huddersfield Town in the semi-final ended their hopes of earning promotion to the Premier League.

Sheffield Wednesday will now be aiming to earn promotion back to the Championship as quickly as possible under the new ownership.

Storch’s group, Arise Capital, completed their takeover at the start of May, and are now planning for life in League One next season.

Henrik Pedersen remains in charge of the first team squad, with the Dane enduring a tough first year as head coach after taking over last summer.

Sheffield Wednesday had a special team under Carlos Carvalhal

Carvalhal remains a fan favourite at Hillsborough all these years after his departure, and it’s no surprise to see that his squad are still close.

That was a special team that came very close to achieving something quite impressive during his time as manager.

While it didn’t ultimately last, the memories that they created have, and the players seem to recognise just how great a time that was for the club.

Storch will now be looking to bring back that level of togetherness and optimism at Hillsborough after the Owls survived the disastrous final years of the Chansiri era.