Sheffield Wednesday are set to lose yet another key figure from their backroom staff before the January transfer window.
That’s according to Joe Crann of The Star, who has reported that Dean Hughes will leave the club to join Blackpool.
The two-time changeover of managers at Sheffield Wednesday has seen a flurry of exits occur in recent months, with Head of Recruitment David Downes following Darren Moore out in the summer. Xisco Munoz was soon to follow alongside his own staff, before Liam Dooley left his role to become Chief Executive Officer at Shrewsbury Town.
The departures haven’t stopped there, with Dean Hughes now looking set to join Downes at Blackpool as he steps down from his role as the Owls’ Head of Technical Analysis and Recruitment Analysis.
Hughes and Downes both arrived at Hillsborough together in 2019 as they followed Steve Bruce in from Aston Villa.
Dejphon Chansiri has already confirmed that the club are in the process of finding Downes’ replacement and Danny Rohl has previously admitted that he is hopeful of a ‘quick solution’ ahead of the January transfer window.
There is yet to be confirmation on Hughes’ exit, but the same view is likely to stand, with Rohl and the supporters eager to see some stability ahead of the window opening in the new year.
Will the exits of Dean Hughes and David Downes be a good thing for Sheffield Wednesday?
Sheffield Wednesday fans may feel some relief at the complete overhaul that seems to be taking place at Hillsborough.
It has been very clear in recent years that the Owls’ recruitment staff have opted for quantity over quality, signing a large number of free agents and loan stars that eventually did help them win promotion.
However, this summer has proven to be the tipping point for fans. Sheffield Wednesday have brought in 12 new faces, with many far from the quality needed to help retain the Championship status that they have only just achieved. Players like Ashley Fletcher, who has scored two league goals in two years, has summed up their lack of ambition over the summer.
While the club’s financial situation, the overturn of managers and David Downes’ departure has far from helped, Sheffield Wednesday have shown no real planning and thought.
The club can take some credit for signings such as George Byers and Di’Shon Bernard in recent years, but fans are very much ready for a fresh start and will now just hope they can be ready to go when the clock turns midnight for the new year.