Why Josh Windass lost trust at Sheffield Wednesday - the "promise was broken" | OneFootball

Josh Windass made the move from Sheffield Wednesday to Wrexham in the summer

Josh Windass has claimed that his trust in Sheffield Wednesday was broken in the time leading up to his exit from the club.

The forward departed the Owls with the termination of his contract over the summer, with players receiving late payments of their wages on multiple occasions.

It had been a successful season for the 31-year-old, who contributed 13 goals and five assists in Danny Rohl’s side to help the team finish 12th in the Championship table.

However, talks over a new contract didn’t lead anywhere and he ultimately terminated his deal during the summer, leading to a move to the newly-promoted Wrexham.

Josh Windass details Sheffield Wednesday’s broken promise

Windass has revealed that he took a pay cut with the last Sheffield Wednesday contract he signed, in 2024, on the basis that he would be renewed if he was playing well and scoring goals.

But when that never materialised, he lost faith in the club to stand by their word, which made up his mind about leaving after a six-year stint at Hillsborough.

“I had a conversation in January about [a new contract],” said Windass, via The Star.

“When I signed my contract last summer, I took a bit of a pay cut because the season before I had an injury.

“That was on the terms that if I was playing a lot and scoring goals, I would be offered a new contract.

“For whatever reason that never materialised and so I lost the trust behind that plan.

“The word was broken, so I just carried on playing and did my job.

“I knew from then that at the end of that season it was time to leave, I did my job and gave it everything but that promise was broken.

“I decided to move on and I'm delighted to be here (at Wrexham) now.”

Windass has made two league appearances for Wrexham in the Championship, scoring on his debut in a 2-1 loss to Southampton on the opening day of the campaign.

Next up for the Red Dragons is a trip to face QPR on 13 September, while Sheffield Wednesday will host Bristol City.

Josh Windass didn’t owe Sheffield Wednesday anything

Windass gave everything to the team last season, and was one of their top performers as they earned a solid 12th place finish in the Championship.

Nobody else in the team managed a double figure tally of goals, with his 18 contributions also far greater than the next best player in the team as well.

It was a no-brainer decision for Sheffield Wednesday to look to renew his contract, but obviously that never came to fruition.

Windass made the decision he felt was best for his career, and he didn’t owe the Yorkshire outfit anything at that point, so most supporters can likely understand why he ultimately left the club amid the disastrous collapse of their finances behind the scenes.