Rangers boss Danny Rohl backed against Sheffield Wednesday transfer raid - One Owls star could be on his radar though | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has shared their thoughts on whether former manager Danny Rohl will try and sign any of their players.

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…

Former Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl has been appointed as the new manager of Rangers following the dismissal of Russell Martin, but has been backed against returning to his former club for a transfer raid.

Rangers have endured a nightmare start to the new campaign, having dropped out of Champions League qualification at the hands of Club Brugge, losing 9-1 over two legs, and currently sit in sixth place in the Scottish Premiership table after eight games, despite having won just one victory.

Former Southampton manager Russell Martin was the man the Rangers board chose to lead them into this season, but following an array of dismal displays, he was sacked from his position. The Gers now have to play catch-up, sitting 13 points behind Hearts in first place already.

The Scottish giants initially moved for former manager Steven Gerrard, with the ex-Liverpool midfielder said to be open to a return to Glasgow, with talks initially said to have been positive, but as it transpired, he would turn the role down, citing the timing not being quite right for a return.

Rohl then moved into the frame as a potential suitor, but after talks, he told the club he no longer wished to be considered for the job, with former Rangers midfielder and current Shanghai Port boss Kevin Muscat emerging as the favourite.

Muscat's move would collapse too, and Rohl once again emerged as the favourite, before officially taking the hotseat as Gers head coach on Monday.

With former Wednesday winger Djeidi Gassama already at the club, Rohl will be familiar with at least one of his players, and could yet head back down to Hillsborough this January to cherry-pick the players that he wants to bring to the Glasgow club.

Danny Rohl issued Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday transfer raid prediction

Football League World's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, has provided his thoughts on whether he can see former manager Rohl return to his old stomping ground and bring some Owls players to Ibrox with him, following his Rangers appointment.

Patrick said: "In regard to Danny Rohl taking a player to Ibrox in January, to be honest, there's not a player that I am worried about [leaving].

"The reason for this is that the squad is so weak now that I can't really see many of our players being transfer targets for other teams.

"Pierce Charles, there is a potential for clubs to be looking for him in January, but I think other clubs will come in for him apart from Rangers.

"Apart from that, I really can't see who else would be coming. Obviously, Barry Bannan would never go and play for Rangers, being a youth Celtic fan, and I don't think Rangers fans would entertain the idea of that.

"Maybe last season they would have taken a punt on someone like (Josh) Windass, but no, in January time, I don't think Danny is going to be coming to look for any of our players."

Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles could be on Danny Rohl's Rangers radar

Probably Wednesday's most valuable asset, goalkeeper Pierce Charles has had to endure a spell on the sidelines at the beginning of this season, having picked up a shoulder injury following the Owls' 3-0 home defeat to Stoke City.

Last season, the 20-year-old had to compete for game time in net with on-loan Brighton goalkeeper James Beadle, and was limited to just eight Championship appearances. However, in those appearances, he certainly impressed.

Charles has already earned eight caps for the Northern Ireland national team, and when fit, is almost certainly the country's number one goalkeeper, ahead of both Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Conor Hazard respectively.

Rangers' current number one goalkeeper is former England international Jack Butland, and now at 32, he isn't getting any younger, and in due course, will need to be replaced.

A move, therefore, for Charles could make sense for Rohl, who will know him well from their time together at Hillsborough, and could prove to be an excellent step in his young career.

With Wednesday's well-documented financial woes, it's unclear as to how much Charles would cost, but it is unlikely to be too substantial given their aforementioned money predicament, meaning Rangers will likely be able to afford him, and a reunification between coach and goalkeeper could be on the cards.

Danny Rohl endeared himself to the Sheffield Wednesday faithful before his departure this summer

Before undertaking the head coach role at Sheffield Wednesday, Rohl had previously worked as a coach for RB Leipzig, Southampton and Bayern Munich, respectively, the latter of which he worked with Hansi Flick, and then followed him to the men's German national team as assistant manager.

Wednesday was his first role as a head coach in senior football, which he undertook in October 2023, and became the youngest manager in the English Football League at the time.

He took the role after the sacking of former Watford manager Xisco Munoz, who had helped Watford achieve promotion to the Premier League just a couple of years prior, but the Spaniard had led Wednesday to their worst start in their history following a winless opening ten matches.

Rohl had an almighty task on his hands, having to steady the ship after Munoz, but he did just that and guided the Owls to safety, finishing three points above the relegation zone having picked up 14 points from their final six matches.

The German would once again lead the Owls through a turbulent 2024/25 campaign, with limited resources at his disposal and numerous off-field issues out of his control, he still guided the club to a top-half finish, placing 12th.

Rohl became a fan favourite from the touchline at Hillsborough, but left the club this summer by mutual consent amid financial issues under Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri, and has now undertaken his first role since his time at Wednesday.

As Patrick details, it's surely unlikely he will return to the South Yorkshire side to raid his former squad in the near future, given the relative lack of talent at the club, and perhaps out of respect for his former employers so as not to weaken their situation any further.

Rohl will forever be remembered fondly by Owls fans, and many will no doubt be wishing him all the very best, as he steps into yet another almighty task in Glasgow.