5 players that must be on Sheffield Wednesday's transfer radar ft Ruben Rodrigues | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday are facing a big rebuild during what is set to be a crucial summer for the club.

Wednesday's main priority this summer will be keeping hold of manager Danny Rohl, who has done an outstanding job at Hillsborough since replacing Xisco Munoz in October.

Owner Dejphon Chansiri will need to provide Rohl with a guarantee that he will receive backing in the transfer market in order to convince him to stay at the club, but given that most of the Owls' 16 signings this season were either loans or free transfers, that seems unlikely.

With the season now concluded, Wednesday's seven remaining loan players, Jeff Hendrick, Ashley Fletcher, Momo Diaby, James Beadle, Ike Ugbo, Ian Poveda and Kristian Pedersen, will return to their parent clubs.

The Owls also have 19 players out of contract this summer, including the likes of Barry Bannan and Josh Windass, so there are likely to be significant changes in the squad over the coming months.

As Wednesday prepare for a busy summer, we looked at five players the club should be targeting.

Callum Doyle

Defender Doyle has spent this season on loan at Leicester City from Manchester City.

After starring for Coventry City as they reached the Championship play-off final last season, Doyle looked to be an excellent signing for the Foxes, and he began the season as a regular, starting the first eight league games.

However, Doyle sustained a knee injury in late September that would keep him out for over three months, and he has struggled to regain his place in the team since returning to fitness.

Given his lack of game time in recent months, a return to the King Power Stadium in the summer looks unlikely, particularly after Leicester won promotion to the Premier League, and he may need to drop down to the Championship again.

There will be no shortage of second tier interest in Doyle this summer, and he would be an ambitious target for Wednesday, but the Owls need to make statement signings to convince Rohl to remain at Hillsborough.

With Liam Palmer, Dominic Iorfa and Di'Shon Bernard all out of contract, Wednesday may need to strengthen at centre-back, and there would be few better options than Doyle.

Ruben Rodrigues

Goals were a big problem for Wednesday this season, so reinforcements in the attacking areas are likely to be a priority for Rohl.

Midfielder Rodrigues made the move to Oxford United from Notts County in the summer, and he has enjoyed an excellent debut season at the Kassam Stadium.

Rodrigues scored nine goals and provided four assists in 51 appearances in all competitions during the regular season to help the U's reach the play-offs, an impressive return for his first season in League One.

The 27-year-old's full focus will be on helping Des Buckingham's side secure promotion over the coming weeks, but Oxford could face a battle to hold onto him this summer.

Wednesday have been short of options in the number 10 role this season, and with Windass out of contract, his departure would leave them even more light in that area, so Rodrigues could be the perfect solution.

Rodrigues can also play out wide or as a striker, offering useful versatility, and for what would likely be an affordable fee, he could be a shrewd signing for the Owls.

Karamoko Dembele

Winger Dembele is another player who has thrived in League One this season during his loan spell with Blackpool.

Dembele joined the Seasiders on loan from French side Brest in the summer, and he scored nine goals and registered 14 assists in 47 appearances in all competitions as Neil Critchley's side missed out on the play-offs on the final day of the season.

The 21-year-old's performances at Bloomfield Road have not gone unnoticed, and according to HITC, Everton, West Ham United, Fulham, Brentford, Wolves, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Southampton, Leeds United and Middlesbrough are all keeping tabs on him.

It would be tough for Wednesday to win the race for Dembele's signature with such strong competition, but the Owls' ability to offer him regular game time could give them an advantage, and Rohl's reputation for developing players could also be an important factor.

Wingers such as Anthony Musaba and Djeidi Gassama have improved significantly under the German's guidance, and it would be exciting to see what he could do with a player as talented as Dembele.

Tom Cannon

Wednesday were first keen on striker Cannon last January, but he instead joined Preston North End on loan from Everton.

After Cannon scored eight goals and registered one assist in 21 games during his temporary spell at Deepdale, the Owls reignited their interest in the summer, but Leicester completed a £7.5 million deal for him in September.

Injury prevented Cannon from making his debut for the Foxes until December, but after he scored three goals in two games against Huddersfield Town and Millwall in early January, it looked like he was finding his feet at the club.

However, Cannon's game time has been limited since then, with Jamie Vardy, Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho preferred ahead of him, raising question marks about his long-term future at the King Power Stadium.

With Vardy and Iheanacho out of contract, and uncertainty over Daka's future, Cannon could be given an opportunity next season, but if he did not feature in the Championship, it seems unlikely he will be a regular in the Premier League.

Cannon would attract plenty of second tier interest this summer if he becomes available, and Wednesday may only be able to afford a loan deal, but he could be the prolific striker they desperately need.

Macaulay Langstaff

Another player that should be on Wednesday's radar is Notts County striker Langstaff.

Langstaff joined Notts from Gateshead in the summer of 2022, and he scored 41 goals in 47 games in all competitions to help the Magpies to promotion from the National League via the play-offs last season.

There were question marks over whether Langstaff could replicate his form in League Two, but he certainly silenced the doubters, scoring 29 goals and providing four assists in 49 appearances for Notts this season.

The Magpies managed to keep hold of Langstaff in January amid reported interest from Birmingham City, Sunderland, Peterborough United, Derby County, Wrexham and Hearts, but they could be vulnerable to losing him this summer after a disappointing second half of the season under Stuart Maynard.

Langstaff would be a gamble for the Owls, but given the way he seamlessly made the step up from the National League to League Two, it would be no surprise to see him adapt to a higher level once again, and the £1.5 million fee it would reportedly take to sign him could prove to be something of a bargain.