The Star reports that Sheffield Wednesday has begun contract negotiations with Josh Windass, a forward, after securing Championship safety.
After a terrible start to their second-tier campaign, the Owls have been fighting immediate relegation back to League One for the whole season. After Darren Moore left last summer, Xisco Munoz took over as manager. However, in his 12 games in charge, he lost every one of them before being fired in October.
Then, they were drafted in for the unknown Dany Rohl, who went on to pull off a mini miracle, winning four and drawing two of their remaining six games. Their turn-around came about in tandem with talisman Windass’s injury comeback in April; the 30-year-old scored goals in the final three games of the season.
The attacker, who beat Barnsley in the play-off final last May with the game-winning goal, has a contract expiring in a few weeks. As things stand, he will be leaving Hillsborough after four years.
Having established their championship status, Wednesday is eager to keep the former Rangers player on staff. There are rumors that the Yorkshire group has started talking about a new contract.
📸 Windass celebrating our second goal at the Stadium of Light!
There will be five added minutes at the end of the first half
🔴0-2🦉#SUNSHW | @mkmbs pic.twitter.com/pU5IYEIhbY
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) May 4, 2024
Argentina and the United States had expressed interest in Windass back in January. At the time, he spoke about the following connections:
“It is what it is.” I’ve had a good four years here, but I know there are issues with the transfer window and there are definitely more pressing matters to take care of. I simply want to keep playing football because I feel like I’m playing good, so it doesn’t really matter to me. If I continue in that manner, maybe I’ll start scoring the goals I know I’m capable of scoring.
Since I’m available in the summer, offers have clearly come in… It’s all about the football, nothing to do with geography. Sincerely, all I want to focus on is playing well; I know that the better I play, the more opportunities I may receive, and that the better I play, the better it is for everyone.
Club captain Barry Bannan, who stated following Saturday’s victory over Sunderland that he planned to stay at the club:
“I haven’t signed anything yet, but after talking to the manager and other people, I’m sure I’ll be here for the upcoming season.
“As I’m 34 years old and have stated clearly that I intend to stay here for the duration of my career, I’ll see how far I can go if I can continue for another year.
As much as I say that, this club can make you feel a little bit older! I’m still going around and I don’t feel my age yet! I’ll play for Sheffield Wednesday as long as I can because my legs feel fine.
“It’s best to get this out of the way and deal with it later on. I have no doubt that I will remain here.
Author’s Perspective
It was a smart move by Sheffield Wednesday to postpone contract talks until the end of the campaign. Though the players would have agreed, it would have been foolish to make offers they would later regret given the uncertainty surrounding their divisional assignment for the upcoming season.
There would have been many offers for Windass, and it was unlikely that he would have wanted to return to League One. Naturally, there is no assurance that he will accept the Owls’ offer, so this could still be the case. It does seem, though, that he will stay at Hillsborough.
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