Sheffield Wednesday eyeing Everton FC transfer raid - Owls could repeat Harry Amass trick | OneFootball

Reece Welch is reportedly of interest to the Owls ahead of January

Sheffield Wednesday are reportedly plotting a loan swoop for Everton FC defender, Reece Welch, with the January transfer window now less than three weeks away.

That is according to a fresh report from Football Insider, as Henrik Pedersen looks to add as many reinforcements to his threadbare squad as possible whilst talk of a takeover at Hillsborough continues to dominate current headlines in the Steel City.

The Owls' first four months of the Championship season have been extremely well-documented, with off-field uncertainty significantly impacting the work which the aforementioned head coach has been able to produce with extremely little in the way of resources when it comes to squad depth and transfer funds.

Indeed, the first major rumblings of discontent came back in March, when the first of what proved to be several instances of delayed wage payments towards players, management and general staff came to light under the controversial former ownership of Thai businessman, Dejphon Chansiri.

A mass exodus of senior players, including Michael Smith and Josh Windass, alongside former boss, Danny Rohl, would follow, leaving Pedersen to take the main job in the S6 dugout just nine days before the opening day of the season against Leicester City on August 10th.

Numerous EFL restrictions which have been imposed, such as transfer and registration embargoes, left Wednesday and the Dane's hands to be extremely tied throughout the summer, as several Under-21s players were drip-fed into the first-team fold due to a severe lack of depth beyond a handful of experienced figures such as Liam Palmer and long-serving captain, Barry Bannan.

As such, only two loan signings were officially made during the summer transfer window, with Ethan Horvath and Harry Amass completing initial short-term loan deals from Cardiff City and Manchester United respectively.

Joe Lumley was then acquired on a two-game emergency loan, before Liam Cooper and Nathan Redmond also agreed short-term deals of their own after the EFL allowed the Owls special dispensation to secure the services of two free agents.

However, whilst it remains unclear as to what the club's transfer plans are amid takeover talks following an 18-point deduction, the South Yorkshire side could be dipping into the loan market once again at the turn of the year.

As per Football Insider's aforementioned report, the Championship's bottom club, who moved up to the tally of minus nine points with a 1-1 draw at Watford on Tuesday night, have expressed an interest in striking a loan deal with the Toffees for Welch's services.

The report continues to state that the Premier League side believe a loan switch is the best course of action to take regarding the 22-year-old's immediate future, despite the fact his current contract at the Hill Dickinson Stadium is set to expire in June 2026 at present.

Indeed, the Owls are hoping to replicate the success which the aforementioned Amass has enjoyed at Hillsborough in his first loan stint away from Old Trafford, a spell which has led to significant interest in his services as Ruben Amorim and the United hierarchy weigh up the potential next step in his development, whilst Pedersen remains confident that the two parties can come to a solution which benefits the Championship's bottom club.

Welch has been on Everton's senior books since the summer of 2020 when he signed his first professional contract with the Merseyside outfit, and has since gone on to make two senior appearances for the Toffees.

His professional debut came in a 2-0 victory over Boreham Wood in the FA Cup in March 2022, before also starting in the EFL Cup against Fleetwood Town five months later.

The Huddersfield-born man has since enjoyed loan spells with KMSK Deinze and Forest Green Rovers, making 17 League Two appearances for the latter in 2023.

Welch has also featured for several England youth age groups, and was recently named on the bench by David Moyes for Everton's league outings against Newcastle United and AFC Bournemouth.

At present, it is needs must in terms of depth for Pedersen, who somewhat bolstered his defensive ranks with the signing of Cooper until the end of the season.

The Owls are effectively a League One club in all but name at present, meaning the second half of the season is all about building momentum ahead of next term, when the start of a major rebuilding task can fully commence under new ownership, with Begbies Traynor hoping to reveal their preferred bidder in the coming days.

Given his own situation and reputation on Merseyside, a switch to Hillsborough and a first shot at Championship football would certainly prove beneficial for Welch, who is in need of regular first-team minutes.