'I've told Henrik' - David Storch drops honest Sheffield Wednesday ownership claim | OneFootball

The new Sheffield Wednesday owner has spoken of his expectations for everybody at the club - including himself - ahead of their return to League One.

The new owner of Sheffield Wednesday had a message for all connected with Sheffield Wednesday, as their pre-season activities start to ramp up.

There's a mood of optimism growing around Hillsborough, ahead of the start of the 2026-27 season.

With Sheffield Wednesday's new ownership having been confirmed on the last weekend of last season and no points deduction having been applied for their return to League One for next season, season ticket sales have been high and transfer activity has been vigorous as they seek to make their stay in the third tier as brief as possible.

Wednesday took to the pitch for a friendly match at Championship club Preston North End's training facility featuring two sixty-minute halves on the 18th July and won 3-2, thanks to goals from Louie Barry, Jamal Lowe and Reece Johnson. And now club owner David Storch has taken to social media to speak honestly about his expectations for himself, his players and his manager ahead of the start of the new season.

"The best owner I can be" - David Storch opens up on expectations ahead of the 2026-27 season

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The new Sheffield Wednesday owner David Storch has taken to the social media platform X to speak of his expectations for the new season, but his comments have been as much about his expectations for himself as for his players or staff.

"I’ve told Henrik, I’ve told the players I’ve spoken with… I will work hard to be the best owner I can be", he told fans in a post early that was published on Sunday morning, "I only ask of them that they work hard to be the best coach and players they can be."

It's already been an exceptionally busy summer in the transfer market for Sheffield Wednesday, with ten players having arrived at Hillsborough already and nine having left, so it'll be a very different-looking team which starts the new season for them in League One next season.

Transfer embargoes applied by the EFL over the persistent late payment of wages by former owner Dejphon Chansiri and the club's subsequent spell in administration made a complete rebuild of their first-team squad a necessity, once their disastrous 2025-26 season was over and done with.

What Sheffield Wednesday fans are saying about David Storch's comments

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Sheffield Wednesday fans have already reacted to David Storch's social media comments ahead of the start of the new season. This Wednesday fan feels that the club should take a hard line with those who don't give their all for the club:

And this fan has an idea of a very established player that Wednesday should look to target before the transfer window closes:

Henrik Pedersen will need to deliver in his second season in charge at Hillsborough

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The mood around Hillsborough may have been ebullient since confirmation of the Arise Capital takeover of Sheffield Wednesday was confirmed, but expectations around the club will be considerably higher for the 2026-27 season than they were for 2025-26.

Henrik Pedersen was appointed as the club's manager in place in Danny Rohl in July 2025, and under most circumstances he wouldn't have completed the 2025-26 season with the club, considering the record that he had. Wednesday only managed two League wins all season and completed it on zero points, thanks to the deductions they received for the late payment of wages and entering administration.

But there are no such excuses, this time around. A points deduction has been avoided for 2026-27 and money has been spent on the team. The return of club captain Barry Bannan after half a season away with Millwall is a big boost, and fans will also have been pleased to see another new arrival, the former Aston Villa star Louie Barry, getting on the scoresheet at Preston.

Pedersen will need to hit the ground running in League One, and he may find that patience isn't as long this time around, should Sheffield Wednesday falter again. The money put into the club since the end of last season have given the club an excellent opportunity to be competitive. There are plenty of good reasons for the club's supporters to be optimistic ahead of the big kick-off, and if the owners, the manager and the players can be the "best that they can be", then the Owls stay in the third tier may prove to be brief.