5 Sheffield Wednesday transfer mistakes the club must try not repeat in January 2025 | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping to avoid a repeat of these five infamous transfer mistakes when the January window opens.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl will likely be looking to bolster his squad in the January transfer window ahead of the second half of the season.

After securing survival last season following an incredible turnaround under Rohl, it was a busy summer for Wednesday with 11 new signings arriving at Hillsborough, and many expected them to climb the table this campaign.

Most of the Owls' summer additions have made a positive impact so far, and while they have been inconsistent at times, it has been a decent start to the season for Rohl's side.

However, the opening few months of the campaign have highlighted some of the weaknesses that remain in the Wednesday squad, and Rohl will no doubt be keen to address those when the winter window opens.

It is fair to say the Owls have had a mixed record in the transfer market over the years, and with the January window fast approaching, we looked back at some of the club's most infamous mistakes.

Darryl Lachman

Defender Darryl Lachman joined Wednesday from FC Twente in the summer of 2015, but in truth, few supporters will remember his name.

Lachman was a Curacao international, and he had made a number of Eredivisie appearances during his career for Twente, PEC Zwolle and Groningen, so he looked to be a strong signing for the Owls on paper.

However, Lachman was signed just days before the appointment of Carlos Carvalhal, with the club's transfer committee, which consisted of Glenn Roeder, Jonathan Hill and Paul Senior, believed to have been responsible for the deal, and unfortunately for the defender, he was not rated by Wednesday's new head coach, who forced him to train with the reserves.

Lachman spent time out on loan with SC Cambuur and Willem II before departing Hillsborough in the summer of 2017 without making a senior appearance for the club.

Joost van Aken

Carvalhal famously claimed that he and his staff had looked at more than 200 centre-backs in the summer of 2017 before eventually signing Joost van Aken from Dutch side Heerenveen in the final week of the transfer window in what was described as a multi-million pound deal.

After such a lengthy search for defensive reinforcements, it had been hoped that van Aken would be the solution to Wednesday's problems, but he failed to nail down his place in the team after a number of unconvincing performances.

It looked like van Aken's Owls career was over after he spent the 2019-20 season on loan with German outfit VfL Osnabruck, but he was handed a surprise reprieve by Garry Monk after his return to Hillsborough.

However, van Aken quickly fell out of favour once again after Monk's departure, and he was released in the summer of 2021 following Wednesday's relegation to League One, departing after making just 33 appearances for the club in four years.

Urby Emanuelson

Eyebrows were certainly raised when Wednesday announced the unexpected signing of former Ajax, AC Milan, Fulham, Roma, Atalanta and Hellas Verona defender Urby Emanuelson in September 2016, just days after the transfer window had closed.

Emanuelson had enjoyed an illustrious career, winning the Serie A title with AC Milan and multiple trophies with Ajax, so he was undoubtedly a high-profile addition for the Owls, and the former Dutch international said that the faith Carvalhal had shown in him convinced him to join the club.

However, Emanuelson turned out to be a disastrous signing for Wednesday, and after an injury-hit season, and he made his only appearance for the club as a late substitute in the 2-1 home defeat to Fulham on the final day of the 2016-17 campaign.

Emanuelson may have been a free transfer, but he claimed that he was offered a "good contract" by the Owls and was "equal in salary" to the top earners at Hillsborough, so he was an incredibly costly mistake.

Almen Abdi

If you asked Wednesday supporters who they believe is the club's worst ever signing, it is likely that midfielder Almen Abdi's name would come up frequently.

Abdi made the move to Hillsborough from Watford in the summer of 2016, and given the starring role he had played for the Hornets over the previous four years, he looked to be an outstanding acquisition for the Owls.

However, Abdi proved to be a huge disappointment, scoring just one goal in 23 appearances for Wednesday during his three-year spell at the club, and he was released at the end of his contract after missing the entirety of the 2018-19 season due to injury.

Abdi opened up on his failed spell in South Yorkshire in 2021, claiming that he did not feel he was trusted by Carvalhal and revealing that he asked to leave the club on multiple occasions, but that is unlikely to gain him any sympathy from Owls supporters.

Jordan Rhodes

Wednesday supporters had long called for the club to sign striker Jordan Rhodes, so there was plenty of excitement when he arrived at Hillsborough on loan from Middlesbrough in February 2017 before making the move permanent for a club-record £8 million that summer.

Rhodes had a reputation as one of the most prolific goalscorers in EFL history, and many believed that he would be the man to fire the Owls to promotion, but he found it difficult to meet the high expectations of the fan base.

With his game time becoming increasingly limited, Rhodes joined Norwich City on loan in the summer of 2018, and after he scored nine goals in 40 games to help the Canaries to the Championship title, there was hope that he would be able to reignite his Wednesday career when he returned from Carrow Road.

However, it did not work out that way, and Rhodes was released by the Owls following their relegation to League One in 2021 after scoring an underwhelming 20 goals and providing five assists in 112 games for the club.