Danny Rohl will have a tough call as to who will lead the line in the first Championship match of the season.
Sheffield Wednesday are set to face off in their opening Championship game of the 2024/25 campaign, with the Owls welcoming Plymouth Argyle to Hillsborough.
The Owls will go into the game feeling fairly confident about their chances, with 10 signings through the door and the assurance that Danny Rohl’s side have strengthened in every single department over the summer.
As a result, Rohl will certainly face a team selection conundrum in many areas of the pitch, with new signing James Beadle in goal being one of the very few that are guaranteed to start in the opening game of the season.
One position that is up for debate is who will be entrusted with the role of striker in the opening clash of the season against Wayne Rooney’s side, with the new arrivals of both Ike Ugbo and Jamal Lowe, as well as having the likes of Bailey Cadamarteri still in-and-around the squad despite being linked away with a League One loan move.
Danny Rohl must start Jamal Lowe over Ike Ugbo
Lowe has had a positive start in S6 after he impressed in pre-season, gaining plaudits from Joe Crann on X, who from the start believed he would be ‘a fantastic signing’.
With that extra time in-and-around Rohl’s squad, which would have massively benefited him in terms of getting to grips with the German boss’ tactics, he will be better suited in starting up top for Sheffield Wednesday ahead of Ugbo.
Although Ugbo was at Sheffield Wednesday in the latter stages of the 2023/24 season on loan from Troyes, there should be very little reasoning behind starting the Canadian international too soon as he hasn’t had that time to gel with the new-look squad before the campaign kicks off.
- READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday fans will love what Lee Gregory did after scoring v Barnsley on Mansfield debut
Ike Ugbo must not get rushed into the Sheffield Wednesday team
Having Lowe in the squad will prove to be a lifesaver for Sheffield Wednesday, particularly at the start of the season, as that gives them the ability of not needing to rush Ugbo back into the team.
There have been widespread positive changes across the side in summer, and as a result Ugbo may need a week or two to be fully up to speed with the new team and how Rohl is setting up.
For example, Rohl has already spoken about what he wanted to improve on from last season, which included taking a look at more running off the ball from his entire team, something that he has managed to successfully distil into his side across the summer.
Ugbo will need to be fully fit in order to meet Rohl’s high standards and expectations in terms of running, and may not be something that he can do at this early stage of his permanent tenure at Sheffield Wednesday.