Sheffield Wednesday were hit with a harsh reality check by Sunderland at the weekend.
Danny Rohl discovered he had made a big mistake in sticking with the same team and tactics that thrashed Plymouth Argyle a week earlier.
Sheffield Wednesday lined up a rather attacking team on Wearside, with Barry Bannan acting as the most defensive in the middle of the park.
It proved unsuccessful for the Owls and may now have pushed Rohl even further to bring in a new midfielder.
Wednesday already look set to miss out on target Gustavo Puerta, while The Star have claimed they are also interested in signing Tottenham’s Alfie Devine.
The 20-year-old picked up two assists in 15 games after joining Plymouth on loan in January.
Alfie Devine is not ‘the answer’ for Sheffield Wednesday
While the ‘lovely’ footballer is highly-rated, Wednesday icon Carlton Palmer has urged his former club not to sign him.
Speaking to Football League World, he said: “They got absolutely torn apart in midfield, they man-marked Bannan, and they just got overrun in midfield.
“So, I think it’s an area that Röhl will look to strengthen, although he has already bought three midfield players and he’s looking at a loan deal for young Devine.
“But what I think he needs is a strong holding midfield player who’s going to sit in there and let the flair players have the space that they can go and play.
“I don’t think they’re going to get away with playing that kind of diamond shape with Josh Windass and Bannan in there against the better sides, they need to be a bit more solid. So, I don’t think that Alfie Devine is the answer for Wednesday.
“I think he’s a good young player, but I think they need a holding number six, that’s strong, who can sit in there and give the flair players the space to go and play.”
What does Danny Rohl need now?
The Yorkshire outfit already recruited Nathaniel Chalobah, but he managed only seven starts for West Brom last season and has now picked up an injury.
The 29-year-old is likely to be used in matches like against Sunderland, but in his absence it makes things very difficult for the team against the better sides.
Wednesday are just going to get overran in midfield and can’t rely on the same players who contribute going forward against the likes of Plymouth, to then drop back and be just as capable at defending.
Bringing in Devine certainly isn’t going to help that and he also doesn’t have the experience that Rohl ideally needs in his ranks either.
The Owls are fine to look to the Premier League, but it is a number 6 that they really need in the final week of the window.