5 former Sheffield Wednesday players could feature next season, including Ross Barkley

Danny Rohl looks set to lead the club into the new season and it will be another hotly contested Championship roster with Sheffield United and Burnley joining the league along with one of Luton Town or Nottingham Forest.

Then there’s Portsmouth and Derby County coming up from League One, as well as one of Bolton Wanderers or Oxford United playing in the League One play-off final this weekend.

Here are X former Sheffield Wednesday players who could face the Owls in the Championship next season…

Ross Barkley

Ross Barkley, who has been on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, could very well be heading for S6 with Luton Town next season.

The Hatters are almost relegated from the Premier League; they are three points behind Nottingham Forest but have a 12-goal gap to make up.

Barkley has been a standout performer for Rob Edwards’ side this season, scoring five goals and providing four assists, although he sees his contract expire this summer.

Expect Luton to want a renewal, but expect other clubs to take a look at the 30-year-old. If he stays at Kenilworth Road, Wednesday fans could see him front their side next year.

Barkley has scored four in 13 league outings for Wednesday on loan from Everton in 2012/13.

Joe Bennett

Defender Joe Bennett is another Sheffield Wednesday loanee, spending time with the club in 2015/16 from Aston Villa.

Now at Oxford United, the 34-year-old left-back is pushing for Championship promotion with the U’s facing Bolton Wanderers at Wembley on Saturday afternoon.

He has made three Championship appearances for Wednesday, making a total of 18 League One appearances for Oxford since joining from Wigan Athletic last summer.

Jordan Thorniley

Former Everton youngster Jordan Thorniley had success with Sheffield Wednesday, joining the Owls in 2016 and staying until 2020.

But the defender managed just 33 appearances in total for Wednesday before heading to Blackpool on a permanent deal and is now also at Oxford United as they push for promotion to the Championship.

Joe Wildsmith

Goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith has enjoyed the form of his life since leaving Hillsborough in 2022, winning the League One Golden Glove with Derby County this season.

He kept 20 clean sheets to help the Rams finish 2nd in League One, but there is now uncertainty surrounding his future.

His contract ended this summer. But given his impressive form in 2023/24, it is likely that he will return to Wednesday as a Derby County player next season.

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing

Much like Wildsmith, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has found form at Derby County since leaving S6 in 2022.

His nine goals and 15 assists in 46 League One outings for the Rams this season saw him nominated for the League One Player of the Year award, also earning him a contract extension at Pride Park.

He could yet cause Sheffield Wednesday’s Rohl plenty of problems in the Championship next season.

During his season on Wednesday, Mendez-Laing has scored twice and assisted twice in 19 Ligue 1 outings.

Similar topics