Sheffield Wednesday set for early Blackburn Rovers transfer blow | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers are unlikely to sell Yuki Ohashi to Sheffield Wednesday this summer

Sheffield Wednesday have attacked the summer transfer window with newfound ambition, as the Arise ownership looks to rebuild the squad ahead of what is hoped to be a successful return to League One.

The Owls got to work quickly, with four new arrivals already through the door this summer. Three have experience in leagues higher than the English third tier, while former Aston Villa centre-back Sil Swinkles is touted as someone whose near-future lies in the Championship.

After having the majority of their senior squad gutted over the last 12 months as the club navigated the final few months of Dejphon Chansiri's reign and the subsequent administration, there wouldn't be anything said against the club just bringing in players for a short-term fix to ensure that they can have a stable 2026/27.

But that's not been the case at all so far. If Sheffield Wednesday continue to sign players of a similar ilk to those they've already brought in, the Owls' stay in the third tier may be short-lived.

Blackburn Rovers' stance on Yuki Ohashi revealed — Sheffield Wednesday face transfer hurdle

Action Images

Wednesday's ambition to get back into the Championship as soon as possible was further highlighted last week, when the Sheffield Star revealed that Blackburn Rovers wideman Yuki Ohashi was on their radar as the club looked to strengthen their attacking options.

While Blackburn endured a difficult 2025/26 campaign, Ohashi was still one of the standout performers at Ewood Park, appearing in every league game and netting 10 times. The year before, he scored nine as Rovers challenged for the play-offs.

The 29-year-old is regarded as one of Tony Mowbray's most important players heading into the new season, so if Sheffield Wednesday were able to tempt him to drop a level to play at Hillsborough, it would be a big indication of their short-term ambitions.

However, it seems that the dream signing will be just that, as Blackburn aren't expected to part ways with the two-capped Japanese international this summer.

Per the Lancashire Telegraph, a move to South Yorkshire for Ohashi is "unlikely," with the 29-year-old still having a year, plus an option of a further 12 months, left on his contract at Ewood Park.

It's believed that, even with the strong start to the transfer window at Hillsborough, the League One new boys wouldn't be able to present a deal that would entice Blackburn into thinking about parting ways. Plus, with Ohashi hoping to re-emerge in the Japan national team side after missing the World Cup, a drop to League One wouldn't be optimal for him, either.

Sheffield Wednesday may have to move on as Blackburn Rovers face relief after Yuki Ohashi decision

Action Images

From a Blackburn stance, while everyone has a price, seeing a fans' favourite leave this summer for a club in the division below would be massively demoralising, indicating that the club aren't ready to take that next step this season.

So, at Ewood Park, fans will be breathing a huge sigh of relief, and will be looking forward to the 29-year-old hopefully having an even better season in his third year at the club.

As for Sheffield Wednesday, while there'll be some disappointment that Ohashi may not be joining, the level of player they are targeting can only invoke confidence ahead of the new season. Just because the Blackburn man is staying put doesn't mean that more Championship-level players won't be targeted.

The Owls are edging closer to securing the services of highly-rated Leeds United striker Harry Gray on a season-long loan, and also have their eyes on forgotten Wrexham attacker Davis Keillor-Dunn, who scored 31 third-tier goals in 66 games at Barnsley before his move to North Wales in January.

There'll be more knockbacks this summer at Wednesday regarding transfers, but that's natural given the number of players they need to bring to Hillsborough just to bulk out the squad, let alone improve it.