Sheffield Wednesday have a few positions they need to bolster this month. But not all of them are being spoken about.
Sheffield Wednesday have kickstarted their January transfer window by signing James Beadle on loan from Brighton.
The England U20 goalkeeper joins for the remainder of the season and looks set to provide some more solid competition to Cameron Dawson, with Devis Vasquez having failed to impress and looking poised to return to AC Milan.
Dawson has been hit and miss this season and he arguably needed new competition. Danny Rohl though has retained that a new striker is what his side need most this month. And whilst that may be true, a new centre-back could be just as pressing.
Sheffield Wednesday light on centre-backs right now
Currently, Rohl’s centre-back options are Bambo Diaby, Di’Shon Bernard, and Michael Ihiekwe.
There is of course names like Akin Famewo who can do a job in the middle, but he’s been playing well at left-back this season.
Diaby’s recent suspension has highlighted the lack of centre-backs currently at Hillsborough and so this needs to be another position that Rohl looks to bolster this season; especially with the Owls having kept just three clean sheets in 15 league games under the German.
Jonathan Panzo could be perfect for Danny Rohl
Panzo, 23, is currently on loan at Cardiff City from Nottingham Forest.
But after featuring just four times in the Championship this season, it’s been suggested that Panzo could be recalled by Forest this month and sent back out on loan, with Darren Witcoop saying that several Championship teams are keen.
Panzo spent last season on loan at Coventry City where he featured 31 times in the Championship.
He became a key player for the Sly Blues as the season progressed and even came off the bench for them in the play-off final vs Luton Town.
As per Sofascore, Panzo helped to keep 13 clean sheets for Coventry last time round, averaging 1.7 interceptions per game, 1.6 tackles, and 2.9 clearances; interestingly, Panzo averaged 31.4 passes per game last season with 12 of those in the opposition half, making him potentially ideal for this more forward-thinking Wednesday side under Rohl.
Diaby is the Sheffield Wednesday centre-back with the most appearances; he’s averaged 0.8 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, and 3.7 clearances so far this season.
Panzo then has proven that he can hold his own in the Championship. And being a physical defender like Diaby, he could be a back-up for the Spaniard, but his stats also suggest that he could be a backup for Bernard who is the more intricate of the Sheffield Wednesday centre-backs.
If the Owls could get a deal over the line for Panzo, it could be a season-defining move for Rohl.