The collapse of a transfer that would have seen Sheffield Wednesday sign West Ham midfielder Conor Coventry has been discussed by the club’s manager Danny Röhl.
In a back-and-forth transfer mini-saga that saw the Owls hold positive talks with the 23-year-old before Röhl mentioned in a press conference on Thursday that he expected a deal to complete before the end of the week, Coventry ended up at League One Charlton Athletic.
While the German has chosen not to refer to Coventry by name – as is his policy when discussing any player not contracted to the Owls – the timeline of events suggests he is the player in question given it became clear to The Star that negotiations came to a standstill on Thursday lunchtime as Röhl was speaking to the media. The Star understands that having started out behind in the running order of talks with Coventry with a handful of clubs present, Wednesday were at one stage very hopeful of getting a deal done.
Röhl was naturally disappointed but appeared relaxed about the deal coming to a head, making clear that as of his post-match press engagement after Saturday’s defeat at Southampton that there were no existing incoming transfers close to coming to fruition.
“It goes quick sometimes,” he said. “I spoke on Thursday lunchtime about maybe bringing a player in, but this is the transfer window, things can change very quick and we know this. We are still trying to get some players here and we have some ideas but sometimes you have to be a little bit patient because there are always three parts; the player, the other club and our club. This can take more time.”
While there was no intricate explanation of why the deal fell through – Coventry’s switch to Charlton was confirmed on Friday morning – Röhl was clear the calling-off ended up a mutual one. He said: “I think it was a decision from everybody at the end. It happens in football, it is the market and it can be like this,” he said. “You think you are really close but then something happens. It is normal and we look forward to the next one.
“We want to be proactive and this is what we are doing at the moment. It’s like when we’re on the pitch, we want to be proactive and not waiting for what happens. There is a good feeling, we are on the same page with the chairman, Kevin and my side. We are always in contact and we are very close at the moment with the same idea and direction. This is important.”
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