It has been over two weeks since Danny Rohl admitted he wanted to sign a new centre-back.
Sheffield Wednesday went onto tie down Di’Shon Bernard to a new contract, but it is likely that the head coach already knew that before he went onto make his ‘important’ admission.
Rohl previously said: ““I think if you look at the positions we have signed in, I am very happy with the full-back positions, it’s a good challenge. We have done something in the wing positions, we have done something in the striker position. All in all we know we have to do something in the midfield, it is important, we want to do something in the centre-backs as well. Then we can go forward.”
The Owls currently have Bernard, Liam Palmer, Michael Ihiekwe, Bambo Diaby, Akin Famewo and Dominic Iorfa as his senior options, however there are question marks over whether they are all ready to compete towards the top half of the Championship.
Rohl will want a mix of youth and experience in his backline, while he will need plenty of talented options that can compete if he opts to play three centre-backs or if a couple suffer injuries.
With Wednesday yet to land a new defensive addition, we have taken a look at three centre-backs they could look to sign.
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Three centre-backs Sheffield Wednesday could sign
Michal Helik
Helik was expected to leave Huddersfield Town following their relegation, proving himself as one of the standout performers in an otherwise disappointing campaign.
The 28-year-old netted nine times from defence and did pretty well at the opposite end of the pitch too.
Helik made the fourth-most interceptions in the league (75), the second-most clearances (224) and blocked the seventh-most shots (42).
The Polish defender is surprisingly yet to leave Huddersfield, but with only a year left on his contract, could surely be tempted by a move away if a bid comes in.
John Egan
Egan is definitely a controversial one, but given Max Lowe’s arrival, anything could happen.
The 31-year-old has spent six years at Sheffield United and was considered a huge ‘leader’ as they won promotion twice, but eventually lost his place in the team once they reached the Premier League.
Egan was released at the end of the season and is currently on the lookout for a new club.
While it seems extremely unlikely that he would move to Hillsborough, it could be one to consider and one for Lowe to work on himself.
Lewis Gibson
Gibson joined Plymouth Argyle from Everton last summer and finally found himself a home, after spending most of his career out on loan.
The 24-year-old previously joined Wednesday on loan in 2021, but injuries limited his game-time and he managed only five league appearances.
Gibson has looked much better for Plymouth though, making 41 appearances and making the eighth-most clearances in the Championship (191) and blocking the third-most shots (53).
It could be a difficult one to get across the line after the Pilgrims avoided relegation, but one that could add some more youth to Rohl’s centre-back options.