Manager Danny Röhl believes that Sheffield Wednesday’s supporters deserve answers because of the uncertainty the team is facing as the summer approaches.
If they win their season-ending game against Watford on Saturday, Wednesday will finish in 12th place, matching their best finish since the lucrative play-off campaigns of 2016 and 2017. Depending on Swansea City’s performance against Oxford United at home, they could finish in eleventh position.
However, Röhl’s open press appearances have raised questions about his personal future and where he believes the summer may be going. In the midst of circulating rumours about where his summer is going and the fact that many senior players’ contracts are expiring, the Owls manager has made some rather overt references to his personal goals.
The German boss told The Star last week that he had told the club of his personal intentions but with a contract signed to 2027 and compensation terms having stood in the way of a December switch to Southampton.
A raft of senior figures are approaching the end of their deals, with no indication yet on who will be offered fresh terms or have triggers extended. The hope is that any uncertainty will be ironed out – on all fronts – sooner rather than later.
“The most important key is that the fans want answers. This is the key,” Röhl told The Star. “We, as a club, should give them as soon as possible some answers. Then from this point they know what we can do in the future, what the club can do. You could feel it, that the fans can appreciate our work.
“In some moments they hope for more but when you look back, maybe in the summer or in three years we will see it is a consistently good season. It was not a top season, a top season would have seen us come into the play-offs. That was not possible, but all in all we are in the position where we are.
Röhl also hinted at the irony of this weekend’s clash at Watford coming at the same ground he started his Owls management stint in October 2023. With so many important Wednesday figures facing uncertain futures, it could spell an emotional afternoon in Hertfordshire. For Wednesday to progress to where it should be it needs to build the structures and facilities needed to reach its potential, he suggested.
“The fans keep this club always lively, they make this place special,” Röhl continued. “But it is also clear – and don’t get me wrong – just with the fans is not possible to achieve more. You need all the conditions, the environments and this should now be the next step. After five years it is the first time the club is not fighting until the end or something which is a good next step. It is about moving forward with the club. It is about change some things, move some things and see what can be done with this club.”
