Sheffield Wednesday might be ruing their decision to release a certain player over the summer.
Sheffield Wednesday wasted no time in clearing the decks following last season’s heroic escape under Danny Rohl.
The club got to work immediately and quickly published their retained list, with a horde of first-team players eventually leaving as free agents, or because their contracts expired.
That was followed up by the arrivals of nine new names at Hillsborough during the summer, and after a shaky start to the new season, Rohl’s men got back to winning ways with a 3-2 victory against West Brom last time out.
Owls fans like to keep a close eye on former managers and players, with plenty still knocking about in the Football League.
Garry Monk is managing Cambridge United in League One and Darren Moore is in charge of Port Vale in League Two.
And several players who were at Sheffield Wednesday last season are now playing in League One and League Two, including Lee Gregory.
Lee Gregory in fine form after leaving Sheffield Wednesday
Gregory, 36, endured a tough 2023/24 season with Wednesday, playing just 13 times in the Championship after being largely exiled by Rohl.
It was clear that Gregory was not in Rohl’s plans. Gregory was then poised to join Derby County during the January transfer window but for the move eventually being blocked by Wednesday.
The former Millwall man, who scored 29 league goals in three seasons at Wednesday, joined Mansfield Town as a free agent, scoring on his debut against Barnsley on the opening day of the season.
Since, Gregory has netted five goals in seven League One games for the Stags who currently sit in 6th place of the table.
This is the first time ever that Gregory has scored five league goals before October.
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Should Sheffield Wednesday have kept Lee Gregory
Hindsight isn’t always Sheffield Wednesday’s best friend, and that’s certainly the case where Gregory is concerned.
He was very well-liked by Wednesday fans. He was a good servant to the club and played a key role during those two years in League One.
For Rohl though, Gregory just wasn’t the one; he couldn’t play the pressing role that Rohl wants from a striker.
Gregory could no doubt have been a good option to have off the bench this season. But it was only fair that he was given the chance to go to a new club, especially after how he was treated in January.