Sheffield Wednesday fans are excited by the prospect of Bailey Cadamarteri’s next steps with the first-team, but Danny Rohl actually has a number of brilliant youth talents within his squad already.
While Sheffield Wednesday battle on to achieve a strong position in the Championship this season, Danny Rohl has seem some promising signs from many of his players, while a handful have been rather disappointing.
But, like any situation, the poor performances from those players comes with a silver lining, and that is the fact that Rohl could end up looking to the Sheffield Wednesday academy and giving some of his younger players a chance.
While the likes of Pierce Charles and Sean Fusire have already made a name for themselves in S6, we’ve picked out three more talented youth players the Owls could turn to this season.
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Gabriel Otegbayo has made the jump to senior football
This is an easy one, as Gabriel Otegbayo has already made his debut for the first-team, and looks to be the real deal. The young defender could well find himself getting lots more minutes soon, too, given the injuries to the Owls backline.
Danny Rohl recently picked out Otegbayo as one player who has a bright future at Wednesday, and it is clear from the reaction to the reception the youngster got at Hillsborough after the win over Norwich that the rest of the squad and the fans love him too.
Otegbayo is a big, strong, athletic defender who is comfortable with the ball at his feet, and fits perfectly into Rohl’s system and style of play.
Joey Phuthi is ready to replace Liam Palmer
It is safe to say that the Owls have a number of players who are nearing the end of their careers, and Sheffield Wednesday legend Liam Palmer is certainly one of them. The full-back is now 33-years-old, and while Yan Valery and Pol Valentin are doing a good job in taking over that role down the right, there is definitely space for some fresh blood there.
The highly-rated Joey Phuthi has had a taste of first-team football already, albeit briefly. He played five minutes in the defeat against Coventry in December of last year, and also played against the Sky Blues in the FA Cup fourth round replay in February, too.
James Beadle could return to Brighton, opening door for Jack Hall
Now, this one is a long shot, and depends on a few variables. But, with the rise of Pierce Charles this season, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Wednesday could bring James Beadle’s loan spell to an end prematurely.
If they do that, the Owls could find themselves blessed with having two academy products fighting for the number one shirt, as Jack Hall is just behind Charles in the pecking order now.
The 20-year-old is an impressive goalkeeper who has a great attitude and hunger to improve, and is very highly thought of behind the scenes at Hillsborough. It would be a risk, but giving him the chance to jump into the senior squad would be huge for Hall.