Oxford United announced the signing of Will Vaulks on Tuesday, with the midfielder leaving Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer.
Will Vaulks leaves Sheffield Wednesday after two years with the club, featuring 80 times in the league with 34 of those outings coming last season.
The Welshman played a key role in both of his seasons in S6. Last time round, Vaulks’ combative performances in midfield earned him the Player of the Season award.
Vaulks was offered terms to stay in Sheffield but he’s now signed a deal with newly-promoted Oxford United, who won promotion to the Championship via the League One play-offs last month.
For Vaulks, it’s certainly a new challenge. He arrives after what was an overall successful two-year period with Sheffield Wednesday, but it wasn’t always easy for the 30-year-old.
During the League One campaign especially, Vaulks often came under the spotlight, eventually showing his class in the latter part of the campaign.
But former Owls boss Darren Moore knew of Vaulks’ class all along.
Darren Moore proved right about Will Vaulks at Sheffield Wednesday
The first few weeks of the 2022/23 season saw Vaulks featuring more sporadically for Sheffield Wednesday.
He was in and out of the XI under Moore and coming under slight scrutiny for some of his performances, often being a substitute and coming off the bench late in games.
But Vaulks would go on to cement his place in the Sheffield Wednesday XI, starting every League One game in 2023 and playing a key role in the Owls’ eventual promotion.
Moore backed Vaulks to prevail throughout the season, too. Speaking after a 3-1 win vs Wycombe Wanderers in September 2022, in which Vaulks was handed his first start in over a month, Moore said: “He was superb and I was pleased for him.
“I just said to him ‘Vaulksy, you have got nothing to prove to anybody, just play your game’.
“We saw what he brings to the game and the different sort of player and qualities he brings and why you need that.”
Then in April 2023, Moore paid further compliment to Vaulks, saying: “He’s got stronger and stronger and he’s driving us on really.
“If anything, he’s trying to do even more. He’s been in this situation previously and is showing his leadership qualities too.
“He’s fit, strong and puts demands on everyone and he got the assist against Lincoln and he’ll be big for us in the run-in.”
Will Sheffield Wednesday miss Vaulks next season
There’s no denying that losing a Player of the Season player would be a blow for any team in the Championship.
And whilst Vaulks brings definite quality and steel to the side, now is maybe the right time for the pair to part ways.
Sheffield Wednesday need to clear the decks and reset the playing squad with some younger names, and ones who Danny Rohl can mould to his liking.
And that’ll inevitably mean parting ways with some good players like Vaulks. But it also opens up space in the team and in the wage bill to bring in one, maybe even two new players.
But with Vaulks now gone, along with the likes of George Byers, Sheffield Wednesday really only have Barry Bannan in the midfield of the park, so it’s an area that desperately needs bolstering during the summer transfer window.