Sheffield Wednesday have suffered a major blow as they look to take their summer signings up to double figures.
Sheffield Wednesday have already welcomed nine new players to the squad, with every area of the pitch being strengthened.
Danny Rohl has now admitted that he still wants to bolster central defence and midfield though, with the former so far untouched in the summer transfer window.
He has already brought in two midfielders, but with the likes of Will Vaulks and George Byers leaving the club, the Owls are looking particularly light in the middle of the park.
The club had already been looking to bring in some new additions to the backline, with reports over the weekend claiming that Wednesday were considering a move for Saint-Etienne’s Mickael Nade.
The centre-back made 24 appearances in Ligue 2 last term and established himself as a regular in the second half of the campaign as they won promotion back to the top division.
Mickael Nade rejects move to Sheffield Wednesday
Nade was out of contract this summer and was wanted by both Wednesday and West Brom, however it now looks like both clubs are set to miss out.
French journalist Romain Colange wrote on X: “Mickaël Nadé rejected the advances of West Bromwich to continue his adventure at #ASSE. Negotiations around a new 4-year contract are being finalized.”
While he doesn’t mention the Owls, it does look like Nade has rejected a move to England completely and is set to commit his future to Saint-Etienne.
Where should the Owls look now?
Wednesday are still waiting on a decision by Di’Shon Bernard regarding his future, but they still need to strengthen the centre-back position either way.
While the likes of Michael Ihiekwe and Akin Famewo improved under Rohl last season, they can’t expected to be relied upon to help guide the club further up the table.
Now that they have missed out on Nade, the Owls could perhaps consider looking to pull off another signing similar to Bernard’s and swooping in for a Premier League player.
The likes of Alfie Gilchrist from Chelsea, Callum Doyle from Man City and Ashley Phillips from Tottenham could all be available on loan this summer.