Sheffield Wednesday’s transfer business was put to the test in their Championship opener against Plymouth Argyle.
It was glaringly obvious that the Owls would need to bring in significant additions to their squad over the summer if they were to push on for the predicted top-half finish.
Sheffield Wednesday did exactly that – bringing in ten new signings before they returned to action yesterday.
There had been high expectations placed upon Danny Rohl’s side, but it remained unclear as to whether the new signings would be able to gel and kickstart their season with a bang.
Even more so, there was concerns over Will Vaulks’ exit when he decided to leave to join Oxford United, with Wednesday bringing in Svante Ingelsson and Nathaniel Chalobah to firm up the midfield.
Vaulks’ dominating traits proved vital to the Owls’ survival last term and there was doubts over whether his successors could replicate his importance.
While Chalobah failed to make the squad, Ingelsson slotted straight in alongside Josh Windass and Barry Bannan.
‘Tremendous’ Svante Ingelsson wows at Hillsborough
The Swede was relatively unknown before his arrival at Hillsborough, but it didn’t take him long to catch the eye and prove that he could quite easily become the key player the supporters were dying to see.
Ingelsson spent a majority of his time further up the pitch, combining well with Djeidi Gassama and Yan Valery on the right.
The 26-year-old proved a constant threat in attack and was a real handful for Plymouth’s shaky defence, before going onto pick up a smart assist for Wednesday’s opener on the half hour mark.
The midfielder had 55 touches, completed 28 passes, made two key passes, had one shot and made three successful tackles.
It was an all-round ‘tremendous’ debut for Ingelsson and he rightfully received a standing ovation as he was substituted with only minutes remaining.
While the Pilgrims were far from the strongest opponent Wednesday will face this season, Ingelsson showed hugely promising signs that he can play a pivotal role under Rohl.
There may have been some uncertainty as he took up the position left by Vaulks, but there was no doubting that he repaid Rohl’s trust and wowed supporters in his first taste of Championship football.
When completely up to full fitness and having adapted to life in England, Ingelsson could become an exceptional player and will already strike fear into the likes of Sunderland and Hull, who he will face later this week.
Sheffield Wednesday are on the verge of something brilliant
Vaulks’ departure was disappointing for supporters, who were extremely fond of the 30-year-old.
However, if Ingelsson keeps playing like he did yesterday, then they will certainly be extremely content with his replacement.
Hopefully Chalobah can make a good first impression when he makes his debut too, because if so, Wednesday could have a real unstoppable midfield heading into the rest of the campaign.
The real challenge will come when they play more testing opponents though, but Ingelsson will be full of confidence as they travel to Wearside in their next Championship outing.