The future of the impressive Sheffield Wednesday man “very much up in the air”, says Joe Crann

The Owls announced their retained list last month, revealing new deals for Di’Shon Bernard, Cameron Dawson, Dominic Iorfa, Will Vaulks and Josh Windass.

Dawson could now be one going forward with Danny Rohl set to welcome veteran goalkeeper Ben Hamer to S6.

Meanwhile, Bernard and Windass both have interests elsewhere, so their futures remain highly debated.

So does future Player of the Season Vaulks; the Welshman played 34 times in the Championship last season and bagged three assists.

He put in some memorable individual performances throughout the campaign, showing his class as a battling midfielder and also as a specialist set piece.

But Crann has now suggested Vaulks faces an uncertain summer at Sheffield Wednesday.

Will Vaulks future at Sheffield Wednesday ‘up in the air’

Vaulks is yet to put pen to paper on a new Sheffield Wednesday deal after two seasons with the Owls.

He played key roles in both seasons at the club, but Crann posted on X that Vaulks’ future at the club was “very much up in the air”.

Crann adds that Vaulks “wants to stay at Hillsborough but that the parties involved are still nowhere near an agreement”.

Crann also reveals that Vaulks has “tempting interest” from elsewhere.

Should Sheffield Wednesday keep Will Vaulks

The first thing to note is that Rohl now has very few central midfielders at his disposal; after loan exits and player releases, Bannan is really the club’s only natural central midfielder.

That, and it’s Vaulks who can function better in that midfield role, providing excellent cover in front of defenders.

According to Sofascore, Vaulks led the Sheffield Wednesday team for most tackles-per-game and interceptions-per-game last round.

Although he had small periods of inconsistency, he proved his worth in the end, and in that regard, Rohl and Sheffield Wednesday should do everything in their power to keep Vaulks at the club for another season.

Then again, Rohl will want a new generation of players to come through. Vaulks is 30 now and will turn 31 shortly after the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

It is possible that Vaulks will only sign a one-year extension, or that the club is only willing to offer a one-year extension, which may explain the difficulty in reaching an agreement.

So there are more factors to weigh other than the quality he brings to the side; whether or not Sheffield Wednesday sign a horde of midfielders this summer, keeping Vaulks in the squad looks like a smart bet.

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