Sheffield Wednesday have signed just one player this summer but in Akin Famewo the Owls have a centre-back who might just save the club some money.
In fairness, the club doesn’t have a manager yet. Each member of the promotion-winning squad will have to prove themselves once a new man is appointed.
Losing Darren Moore last month certainly wasn’t in the script. He masterminded the club’s unbelievable play-off campaign; leading the club back to the Championship.
With Dejphon Chansiri overseeing things at the football club, anything is possible. As a result, perhaps it wasn’t overly surprising when it was announced that Moore had left Wednesday by mutual consent.
The now departed boss chose to play with three central defenders, deploying wing-backs on the flanks. With that in mind, the new boss might choose to do the same – whoever it might be.
If that is to be the case, Famewo could come into the spotlight. He was a little bit unlucky last season but when he did play, more often than not, Wednesday won!
He made 19 appearances in total with his last coming during a 2-1 victory over Bristol Rovers in April. However, he wasn’t in the squad for any of the three play-off games.
A popular consensus with the Wednesday faithful is that he’s one of the better central defenders at the club. At 24-years-old, he’s also at a decent age to keep improving on an upward curve.
Famewo is comfortable in a three-man central defensive unit and he can also play in a two. Furthermore, the player will be fully refreshed having not featured in the mentally draining play-off campaign.
Famewo could save Wednesday some money this summer
With Wednesday gunning for a good season in the Championship, they will hope to sign some new faces. Ultimately, goals win matches and perhaps some firepower is required.
In order to bring that to the club, however, Chansiri will need to dig deep. As a result, his pockets might not be quite deep enough to spend good money addressing every area of the squad.
If Famewo can prove himself in pre-season, there is an argument that Wednesday don’t need to spend at the back. He’s made 19 appearances for the Owls and is under contract until 2025.
When he was on loan in Scotland with St Mirren, Jim Goodwin called him ‘outstanding’, raving about his physicality and about how he stood up to be counted.
Wednesday will want to give as many of last season’s squad a chance as possible. Famewo will definitely feel as though he has something to bring to the table and he could save the Owls millions in the transfer market.