Sheffield Wednesday have agreed to sign a defender after beating European clubs to his signature.
Sheffield Wednesday have already been busy in the off-season by tying down their most prized asset in Danny Rohl, who will continue his role in S6 following the Owls’ miraculous survival in the Championship.
Key figures in the dressing room Barry Bannan and Liam Palmer have also been signed new deals to hopefully push Sheffield Wednesday up to the higher echelons of the league table next season.
Wing-back options are far from rife for the Owls, with Marvin Johnson being the only notable player following the departure of Reece James.
This means that this position had to be bolstered with Championship quality, something that Rohl has undoubtedly done after it was revealed that Sheffield Wednesday have agreed a fee for Yan Valery.
He looks set to become one of the Owls’ first signings of the summer, and here we explore why he’s moving to S6…
Yan Valery to reunite with Danny Rohl at Sheffield Wednesday
The German manager worked wonders in the last campaign with a very unfamiliar squad when he took over the role from Xisco Munoz. With his former players, he could transform this team to be gunning towards the play-offs.
Rohl spent time with Valery during his time at Southampton, showing that Rohl could get the very best out of the French-born player.
Rohl’s appointment to the Premier League outfit coincided with Valery being thrown into the first team, becoming a regular at both full-back and right-midfield for Southampton.
When assistant to former Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, the Austrian manager was full of praise for Valery, stating: “How he developed his game today was unbelievable for me, best player in my team I think.”
Yan Valery has a point to prove
Valery has struggled to hit the heights of his break-through season with Southampton under Rohl after the 2018/19 season where he struggled to tie-down a starting spot.
Ever since his time on the English south coast, he has been applying his trade in France with Angers.
He joined the Ligue 1 outfit back in the 2022/23 season, but has since been relegated and had a season in Ligue 2, where he impressively racked up five assists.
The Tunisian international’s firepower is evident from his time in the Premier League, it’s up to the correct manager to reignite that spark, the Sheffield Wednesday boss may be that man.
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A perfect piece in Rohl’s Sheffield Wednesday XI
It was reported that Standard Liege and Montpellier also held interest in Valery, however a place in Rohl’s plans took priority for the wing-back.
Although he is incredibly versatile with the ability to play anywhere on the right, as well as centre-back, the position he thrives is wing-back.
A player of Valery’s mould could transform the right-side for Sheffield Wednesday, forming a partnership between himself and Djeidi Gassama, who was pivotal in helping the Owls climb to safety.
Valery will be given that attacking freedom down the right, whilst also holding a defensive shape, with the back-three providing cover.