Sheffield Wednesday must really love Aston Villa right now | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday's deals with Aston Villa this summer could be key as they look to win promotion back to the Championship.

Sheffield Wednesday are overseeing what is likely to be one of the busiest transfer windows in EFL history as they prepare for life in League One.

The Owls’ off-field issues under Dejphon Chansiri were well-documented, as his mismanagement had left the club on the brink as they entered administration.

Whilst Wednesday suffered an inevitable relegation, with Arise Capital Partners completing their takeover of the club, it means they head into the new campaign with real optimism.

However, the squad that they were left with required major work, and, to their credit, the Owls have wasted little time in trying to give Henrik Pedersen the players he desperately needs.

Harry Gray, Joe Lumley, Callum Slattery, Ricardo Santos and Billy Mitchell are just some of the new recruits, with Barry Bannan also returning to Hillsborough in what looks like a huge addition for the club.

Sheffield Wednesday could develop a fruitful relationship with Aston Villa

Another noticeable aspect of Wednesday’s summer business so far has been the deals they have done with Aston Villa.

Sil Swinkels joined the club after an undisclosed fee was agreed, with Louie Barry also completing a permanent move to the Owls.

Furthermore, FLW exclusively revealed that Wednesday are looking to sign Tommi O’Reilly, which would make it three young players making the move from Villa Park to Yorkshire.

Naturally, that will have fans wondering about whether the clubs have an unofficial relationship, but, ultimately, the only thing that matters is Wednesday are improving their squad.

Clearly, Villa have found Wednesday easy to negotiate with, and it has been reported that the Swinkels and Barry deals will include a ‘matching rights’ clause for the Premier League side, which can be activated if, or when, the players leave Wednesday in the future.

That highlights how this is a mutually beneficial agreement, and Villa will recognise that the two young lads need to be playing regularly at this stage of their careers, which isn’t going to happen with them.

Then, if they do progress considerably, they will be in a position where they don’t miss out on the players if they become available.

Sheffield Wednesday are right to target exciting young players

There’s no doubt that relationship will have helped Wednesday move ahead of rivals when it comes to O'Reilly, and the new regime deserves huge credit for that.

It’s hard to imagine that someone like Chansiri, who often seemed to move the goalposts, would have been in a position to secure three highly-rated youngsters for Wednesday.

Obviously, in the long-term, Wednesday want to be competing with Villa in the Premier League, but, the hierarchy have an understanding of where they are right now, and making the club an attractive option for young players is only going to help the club grow.

In Barry, the Owls have got someone who has impressed in the third tier previously, whilst Swinkels and O’Reilly have shone in League Two, and are clearly ready for the step up.

So, they’re the exact profile of players that will help Pedersen, and, crucially, they will be hungry to prove themselves as they look to make their mark in the professional game.

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Moving forward, if these deals work out as expected, it will also put Wednesday at the front of the queue for any more exciting young talents that come through at Aston Villa, and other clubs will be taking notice at how they develop individuals.

This summer was always going to be incredibly busy for Sheffield Wednesday, but the club have moved swiftly to put themselves in a strong position - and the link with Villa could turn out to be a very shrewd one.