£0 Sheffield Wednesday deal for ex-Everton man makes sense - Liam Cooper impact is huge | OneFootball

Reece Welch has been heavily linked with a free transfer switch to the Owls

Sheffield Wednesday's rebuild under the ownership of Arise Capital Partners is well underway heading into the club's first season at League One level for three years.

It has been well-publicised that the main reason behind Wednesday's current predicament is previous financial mismanagement, something which the likes of David Storch will be working tirelessly in the off-season to avoid in the coming years.

Indeed, the Owls haven't had much time to prepare for life in the third tier even on the pitch, despite the fact they suffered the EFL's earliest-ever relegation back in February, largely down to a deduction of 18 points and an extremely limited squad in terms of depth at the disposal of Henrik Pedersen.

Indeed, even in the lead-up to the official confirmation of Storch's takeover on May 1st ahead of the final day of the Championship season against West Bromwich Albion, there was plenty of discourse generated over whether the Steel City outfit would receive further limitations on spending under the new consortium, including a £7,000 per week wage cap for each individual player.

However, those limitations and a potential 15-point deficit for 2026/27 were waived by the EFL, much to the disagreement of other clubs, and many names have now been linked with a move to Hillsborough, with the new season just over one month away.

Even during the club's previous transfer embargoes, they were linked with a move for centre-back, Reece Welch, who was of Everton, but is now available on a free transfer ahead of a pending departure from the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

It was a deal which, in the circumstances, made sense last December, and certainly does now, as the 22-year-old could benefit massively from the experience of former Premier League defender, Liam Cooper.

Reece Welch is an exciting potential signing for Sheffield Wednesday in League One

Action Images

Indeed, it has been claimed by Football Insider that the Owls are facing competition from Danish Superliga outfit, AC Horsens, for a deal involving their former loan target.

There is certainly a void needing to be filled in S6 in the centre-back department at this moment in time too, with Dominic Iorfa's seven-year association with the Owls coming to an end when the club's retained list was announced last month.

The 22-year-old could, as a result of his current ability and highly-valued potential, be at Hillsborough for a similar amount of time, even though he is yet to feature above. League Two level on a regular basis, which came in a 24-game loan spell at Forest Green Rovers.

A former England Under-20 international, the Huddersfield-born man has made just three appearances for the Toffees, with the first of those coming over four years ago in an FA Cup tie against Boreham Wood.

However, after playing 106 times for the Toffees' Under-21s, whilst also receiving interest from Wednesday's upcoming divisional rivals, Plymouth Argyle in January, no doubt the defender will feel he has a point to prove, and the chance to help one of English football's most historic clubs rise from their slumber is an exciting prospect.

Liam Cooper could be a significant mentor to Reece Welch at Sheffield Wednesday

Action Images

Wednesday do have other highly-rated defenders on their books, such as Earnie Weaver, and like the 19-year-old, Welch could benefit hugely from being in the same environment as the aforementioned Cooper, who has seen a lot throughout his career which began at Hull City in the late 2000s.

After honing his craft in the lower divisions with Chesterfield, the defender moved to Leeds United in 2014, and lasted a decade at Elland Road whilst aclimatising to the pressure of playing for such a historic club in the EFL.

Cooper's experience was certainly welcomed during testing times in S6 last season, and the 34-year-old has now put pen-to-paper on a fresh one-year deal ahead of the upcoming season.

Reflecting on such developments, Wednesday boss Pedersen told official club media: "Importantly, he is a winner and we believe he can play an important role for us this season on and off the field. We are delighted to welcome him back to the club.”

The same stance is likely to be reflected in the midfield department if Barry Bannan's highly-anticipated and swift return to South Yorkshire from Millwall is finalised in the coming days.

Earlier in the window, Wednesday had been linked with further experience in the form of Callum Paterson and Jamie Vardy, before talk on such fronts have chilled.