Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk has revealed the club are working hard to bolster his playing squad with one or two additions before the transfer deadline next week.
What’s he said?
The Owls are yet to make a splash this month despite being linked to an array of targets, mainly of the striking variety as they look to cope in the absence of top goalscorer Steven Fletcher.
Monk has made it clear in the past couple of weeks that he would like a forward too as Wednesday will be without the 32-year-old’s 12-goal exploits until at least March after picking up a nasty knee injury.
So far they have missed out on Eddie Nketiah and Rhian Brewster whilst a deal with Crystal Palace for Connor Wickham continues to stall over wages.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Monk said:
Owls’ need
It makes for concerning reading when Monk says there is a clear need for additions this month, so the pressure is only going to increase tenfold if they cannot complete the necessary business before Friday.
This weekend’s humiliation probably puts an unnecessary spotlight on it even more after they were smashed 5-0 by Blackburn Rovers at Hillsborough.
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No player in the squad is anywhere near Fletcher in terms of goals this season with the next best being four players on three for the season, so there’s a good argument to be made that a striker is their most pressing worry.
However, it may not be wise to discount the wide positions with only three fit options for two places, and even when Fernando Forestieri has been around the squad, he still hasn’t been favoured by Monk, starting just one match under him.
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The Owls have indeed signed someone this month as Manuel Hidalgo swapped the Serie C for English U23 football, but that’s not going to be enough if they want to mount a serious playoff challenge this term.
And in other news,ÂMonk has the right stance with zero-to-hero as the club opens contract talks…