Sheffield Wednesday player could exit Hillsborough as Premier League clubs circle | OneFootball

Talented teenager Yisa Alao is the subject of Premier League interest

Several Premier League clubs have registered interest in Sheffield Wednesday's 17-year-old full-back Yisa Alao.

This is per a report from BBC Sheffield's Andy Giddings, who stated on X that Wednesday have received "a number of offers" for the young defender.

The left-back made his senior debut for the Owls during their EFL Cup triumph over Bolton Wanderers in the first round, coming on in the final stages of the penalty win, and then played a more prominent role in their eventual exit against Grimsby Town.

Alongside that, Alao has been a regular feature on what has been an incredibly inexperienced bench throughout the Championship campaign, albeit without making his league debut just yet.

With the left-back only just turning 17 in November, he's finally eligible for a professional contract, and Premier League sides are looking to beat out his current club for a first pro deal.

Premier League clubs circling for Sheffield Wednesday youngster

According to Andy Giddings on X, Sheffield Wednesday have received offers from top-flight sides for Alao.

The recently turned 17-year-old has been eligible to sign his first professional contract, but nothing has yet come out regarding a new deal, despite Wednesday being in talks with both Alao and Will Grainger over professional terms since the end of November.

There was a worry that, given the financial mismanagement of Dejphon Chansiri towards the end of his time as chairman that the 16-year-olds who were being thrown in at the deep end due to a threadbare squad wouldn't be able to sign professional terms when they turned 17.

However, it was confirmed that this wouldn't be the case, which was good news at the time for Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen, as he revealed that the club would "do everything" to retain Alao and Grainger's services.

"They are two guys we want to keep in the club and integrate into the first team. They're two very, very important young talents for us," Pedersen said in late November.

"We have to do everything to keep them here. They're the future, and I know the club are doing everything they can in the circumstances we have right now."

Despite this, though, the Owls may not even be able to retain the services of Alao, at least, with Premier League sides looking to swoop in and sign the youngster, who has already shown signs of promise against EFL sides this season.

In what has been an incredibly dark and distressing campaign on the pitch for Sheffield Wednesday, the emergence of some young stars who wouldn't have been given an opportunity in the senior squad under normal circumstances has been a rare bright spark.

There are obviously clear concerns about throwing teenagers straight into Championship football, but those who have managed to withstand the challenge have emerged as players who Wednesday fans can be confident about being the future of the club. That is, however, if they can keep them.

Ultimately, this has allowed these youngsters to showcase their talents against top-quality opposition early on in their careers, and thus, top-flight sides are showing interest in continuing their development with them.

If Wednesday can fend off the interest and keep its young core, they'll have the foundations for a successful squad in a few years. But sometimes, the lure of a Premier League side can be too strong.

Sheffield Wednesday will hope that it isn't strong enough in this case, and they can continue to nurture their homegrown talents at Hillsborough.