When Carlos Carvalhal thinks David Storch's Sheffield Wednesday will play Premier League football | OneFootball

The popular former Sheffield Wednesday manager believes that Hillsborough will be playing host to top-flight football in four or five years

Sheffield Wednesday have entered a new era after David Storch's takeover was completed ahead of the final day of the Championship season.

The already relegated Owls played in front of a packed-out Hillsborough for their final game before a League One return, but did so with a newfound confidence in the wake of their administration period ending and the proposed 15-point deduction to begin the new season being waived by the EFL.

The result of that was a party atmosphere in the stands and a first home win of the season on the pitch against West Brom, seeing Wednesday end the campaign on zero points.

Now, with their rebuild commencing on a level playing field, both in terms of their starting points total and the transfer restrictions being eased, too, Owls fans are feeling a sense of optimism for the first time in what feels like years.

It's been 26 years since Sheffield Wednesday played in the Premier League, but there's real hope that this could be the ownership group to oversee a return for one of England's biggest sleeping giants.

Carlos Carvalhal believes Sheffield Wednesday will be playing Premier League football in five years

There were only really two positive seasons out of the 10 full campaigns overseen by former owner Dejphon Chansiri — the first two, and at the helm for both of those was Carlos Carvalhal.

Sheffield Wednesday made the play-offs in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 campaigns under the Spaniard, but were beaten both times. It was around that time that Chansiri felt his investment was worthless, and thus began the decline to the point where the club is now.

Nevertheless, there arguably hasn't been a more popular man over the past decade than Carvalhal, and the manager has remained a fan of the Owls since his sacking in December 2017. He, more than anyone, was overjoyed to see the fanbase come together on the final day.

"What happened on the last game was a clear sign that we are strong," he told the Sheffield Star's Rob Staton. "We must be together because together we can do a lot of things.

"I hope that next season in League One, the club is promoted, and after, with this kind of wave after wave, the club can get the power to go to the Premier League in two or three years.

"You go, you are strong, you become stronger and after, you fly and go to the place that this club must be."

The 60-year-old has called on the Wednesday fans to be louder than ever and to get behind the team in this rebuild.

He knows first-hand how important the 12th man can be, especially in a stadium as historic and as large as Hillsborough.

"The last game of the season felt like a new era for the club," he continued. "With this power, the team and the coach will need this to be promoted. We saw this when we were here in the first season.

"When you wake the giant, and the people start moving, we stay strong. Also, inside the pitch, the players and I stayed strong because of the support. So, make this again. With more power, if possible.

"I want to see games in the Premier League here, and I think in four or five years, I will be here to see games in the Premier League."

The Sheffield Wednesday fanbase will be key towards a possible Premier League return

Given what Sheffield Wednesday fans have had to go through over the past few years, and especially in the past nine months, you can't blame them for wanting to dream of a Premier League return under this new ownership.

Granted, that seems a long way away now, with the Owls gearing up for a return to the third tier, but Carvalhal doesn't think it will be long until Wednesday gets back to the Championship.

With the swell of support shown on the final day, registering the highest attendance of the season in the division along the way, maintaining that level next season and in seasons to come will most definitely give them an advantage.

Then, perhaps Wednesday could go one further than what they were able to do under Carvalhal and finally reach the promised land of the Premier League, and perhaps that day may not be as far away as some think.