Sheffield Wednesday: Chansiri's Danny Rohl succession plan is a major gamble - one thing cannot be ignored | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday are reportedly keen for assistant manager Henrik Pedersen to take over from Danny Rohl in the summer.

It has been a season of progress for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, but it looks likely that they will lose manager Danny Rohl in the summer.

Rohl inspired a remarkable turnaround to help Wednesday avoid what seemed like a certain relegation last term, and his side have emerged as outside promotion contenders this season.

The 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United in the Steel City derby at Hillsborough prior to the international break was a big blow to the Owls' faint play-off hopes, but they are still only six points from the top six with eight games remaining.

Rohl was linked with a return to Southampton, where he previously spent time as assistant to Ralph Hassenhuttl, in December following the sacking of Russell Martin, but the Premier League outfit were unwilling to meet his £4 million release clause.

However, as the Saints prepare to part company with Ivan Juric in the summer, they have reportedly identified Rohl as their top target, and the fee they would need to pay to land the German will reduce to just £2 million once they are relegated from the top flight.

With Rohl looking destined to make the switch to St Mary's, journalist Alan Nixon claims that Wednesday are keen for assistant manager Henrik Pedersen to replace him, but his appointment would be a big gamble.

Henrik Pedersen could continue Danny Rohl project at Sheffield Wednesday

Given the improvement that Wednesday have made this season, many supporters fear that progress will be lost once Rohl departs, so appointing Pedersen as manager would at least help to provide continuity.

Rohl and Pedersen both came through the Red Bull coaching system, so they have known each other a long time and share similar ideas, meaning the transition would likely be a smooth one if Pedersen does make the step-up to manager in the summer.

Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri invested heavily in a strong coaching structure to support Rohl, with Pedersen leaving a managerial role in the Danish second division to become part of the backroom staff and high-profile figures such as Chris Powell, Sal Bibbo and Sascha Lense joining the club.

Providing that Rohl does not take too many of his team with him to Southampton, Wednesday could keep their experienced coaching staff at the club to support Pedersen as he adapts to life as a Championship manager, and that would help to minimise disruption and provide further stability.

Pedersen is a popular figure among the Owls players, and he was given a glowing review by captain Barry Bannan, who praised him for his tactical ability and revealed that he already leads many of the sessions in training.

"He's a bit mad!" Bannan told The Star. "He shouts a lot but he is amazing really, coaching-wise and tactically he's unbelievable and he can have a laugh as well, which is good. He's got a bit of everything about him but his actual tactical side is crazy. He's very vocal on the training pitch and he takes a lot of the sessions.

"Tactically, when it comes to building up with the ball and stuff, he offers these little tips that are just crazy. You'll be out on the pitch and something will happen and it'll trigger you back to something that he said would happen. He's really good at his job and he's a lovely man as well which is a bonus. He's a good guy to have, he's very energetic."

Bannan's comments will provide some reassurance to any Wednesday supporters who are nervous about the prospect of Pedersen taking over, but unfortunately, simply being liked by the players does not guarantee that he will be a success, and his managerial record does not make for particularly good reading.

Dejphon Chansiri should think twice about Henrik Pedersen appointment

Pedersen is perhaps best known for his spells as an assistant coach at Wednesday and German side Union Berlin, but he does have plenty of managerial experience under his belt.

After a lengthy stint coaching in the Red Bull system, Pedersen took over at Danish second division side HB Koge in July 2014, and he led them to a respectable seventh-placed finish in his first season before departing midway through the following campaign.

Pedersen then worked under Jens Keller at Union Berlin before returning to management with German third division side Eintracht Braunschweig in July 2018, but he only won two of his 14 games in charge, drawing five and losing seven, before being sacked after just over three months at the helm.

Despite that disappointment, Pedersen was handed an opportunity to manage in the Norwegian top flight with Stromsgodset in the summer of 2019, but he won just 13 out of 49 games during a near two-year spell at the club before being dismissed in April 2021.

Three months later, Pedersen returned to Denmark when he was appointed as the new manager of second division outfit Vendsyssel FF, and he remained there until he made the switch to Hillsborough to become part of Rohl's coaching staff in October 2023, departing after winning 30, drawing 21 and losing 31 of his 82 games in charge.

Across his four managerial roles, Pedersen has a win percentage of just 33.3%, and that should act as a warning to Chansiri, particularly given that those spells were in leagues that are nowhere near the same standard as the Championship.

Chansiri is understandably keen to keep some continuity at the club after Rohl's exit, and it is fair to say that the list of possible external candidates is not inspiring, but there is little in Pedersen's managerial career to suggest that he is capable of managing in the second tier, so the Owls should be careful about promoting him to the top job.