Sheffield Wednesday’s season currently hangs in the balance.
On the pitch, Garry Monk is steering them towards a serious push for promotion in the Championship but off it, they face huge uncertainty over the long-term future of the club.
The Owls currently sit fifth in the standings following a five-match unbeaten run which was continued at the weekend with a rampant 4-0 thrashing of fellow playoff hopefuls Nottingham Forest.
Meanwhile, the south Yorkshire side are yet to face punishment following their charge by the English Football League over the sale of their Hillsborough stadium.
It is believed that their owner, Dejphon Chansiri, could face a permanent ban from the sport altogether while a 21-point deduction has been branded about as another potential consequence.
For now, all Wednesday can do it keep going until they learn their fate, and that appears to be the case with January in mind.
Next month gives Monk his first opportunity to stamp down his own mark amongst a team that was assembled wholly by his predecessors.
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One player that has been linked to the club this week is Charlton Athletic striker Lyle Taylor, while there is also reported interest in clinching Liverpool starlet Rhian Brewster on loan.
So it is reasonable to suggest that the 40-year-old could be in for a forward in a couple of weeks.
Would a move for Taylor be a right one? Absolutely not.
Sky Sports claim that the Addicks’ former owner Roland Duchatelet rejected offers of £4m for him in January, but with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, many Championship rivals are in for him.
The 29-year-old, who will turn 30 before the end of the season, had been out with a serious knee injury for quite some time before returning as a substitute against Middlesbrough.
He has since only made two further appearances from the bench having scored five goals in their opening six games.
The Owls should steer clear of him, not just because he is some way off being match fit, but too, he offers nothing different to what Monk already has in his ranks.
His current boss Lee Bowyer described him by saying: “For me, he’s a 20-goal-a-season striker no matter what division. The way we play suits him because it isn’t just his goals. His physicality, he holds the ball up.”
That sounds exactly like Steven Fletcher, who has already bagged 12 goals this campaign and also wins 6.3 aerial duels on average per game.
Wednesday simply do not need another player like this, but instead someone who can compliment him nicely.
And in other news, Sheffield Wednesday striker Jordan Rhodes is ‘on the radar’ this January, according to Alan Nixon…
