Xisco Munoz has been unveiled as the new Sheffield Wednesday and his first signing at Watford could now be absolutely perfect for the Owls.
The 42-year-old led the Hornets to promotion from the Championship and Philip Zinckernagel proved an inspired signing for the club.
Munoz replaced Vladimir Ivic in December 2020. He not only led the team to promotion but was also 15th in the Premier League when he got sacked in October 2021.
Zinckernagel was the first signing that Munoz made as the Watford boss. He took the versatile Danish forward from Bodo/Glimt and he shone at Vicarage Road.
The 28-year-old scored once and claimed five assists during his 21 outings for the Hornets; largely operating as a right-winger or a number 10 under Munoz.
When Watford were promoted they targeted better players. That left Zinckernagel out in the cold and he was sent to Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan.
It was at the City Ground that he really showcased his credentials. He scored seven goals and registered 10 assists as the Reds won promotion to the Premier League.
Forest chose not to sign him permanently but Evangelos Marinakis was a huge fan. As a result, he took the player to Olympiacos but that move didn’t prove a good one.
He scored twice in seven appearances but after just six weeks in Greece, he was packed off to Standard Liege on loan for the second half of 2022/23.
In Belgium, he was back to his usual self. He scored 10 times for the club as they enjoyed a resurgent campaign in the top flight.
It looks unlikely that Liege will sign Zinckerngael permanently and now he could find himself in limbo back with Olympiacos.
Munoz should bring Zinckernagel to Wednesday
This would be a quite remarkable coup for the Owls if they could pull it off. It has to be said at this stage, however, that there is no evidence that Zinckernagel is among a list of Munoz targets.
Wednesday have done well to tie plenty of last season’s squad down to new deals. However, there is now a sense that the squad needs some Championship expertise.
Zinckernagel would provide that in abundance. At Forest, he was seen in the eyes of many supporters as the unsung hero of their stunning promotion campaign.
A hard-working, versatile performer, Zinckernagel currently earns £12,000-a-week at Olympiacos and that doesn’t make him completely unobtainable.
Zinckernagel knows the Championship like the back of his hand and he’d surely love another crack at winning a third promotion to the Premier League.
Landing him won’t be easy. If he is available this summer, a host of clubs will likely be interested but Munoz could swing things in Wednesday’s favour.
He knows how to get Zinckernagel firing and if he rocks up in South Yorkshire he could seriously get the Wednesday faithful out of their seats next season.