Derby County and Preston North End eyeing move for ex-Sheffield Wednesday player | OneFootball

Derby and Preston are in a chase to sign the released Sheffield Wednesday defender Pol Valentin, but there may also be competition from Spain.

Preston North End and Derby County are understood to be leading the way in the chase for the recently released Sheffield Wednesday right-back Pol Valentin.

Defender Pol Valentin was one of ten players released by Sheffield Wednesday at the end of the 2024/25 season upon the expiry of his two-year contract with the club, who finished 12th in the EFL Championship but are currently racked with uncertainty over the future of manager Danny Rohl.

He signed for the club on a two-year contract from the Spanish club Real Sporting de Gijon in July 2023. It was known that there would be interest from EFL clubs in the defender when released, but the defender is believed to have returned to Spain in order to weigh up his options ahead of its expiry at the end of June.

Interest in Valentin isn't limited to Championship clubs

The Sheffield Star has reported that the two Championship clubs interested in acquiring Valentin's services are Derby County and Preston North End.

The Star reports that "it was never thought that he’d struggle to find himself a new home once he moved on", and that they believe Preston to have their noses in front in the race to sign him.

Derby and Preston both ended last season looking nervously over their shoulders at the relegation places until the last day of the regular season, but both survived, finishing the season on 50 points and in 19th and 20th places in the Championship respectively.

But there might be interest from elsewhere, as well.

On the 21st May, Valentin's agent, Angel Garcia, posted an update on his client's position to X, in which he stated that, as well as the interest that he was expecting from other Championship clubs, "two Liga Hypermotion clubs have him on their radar".

Pol Valentin's transfer from the Spanish second tier to the Championship was seamless

Valentin's transfer to Sheffield Wednesday in 2023 moved the player from the second tier in Spain to the second tier in England.

Having made his League debut in the Secunda Division for Gimnastic in 2018, he transferred to Valencia in 2020, but was unable to get into the first team and moved on to CF Fuenlabrada, moving on to Real Sporting de Gijon in 2022.

Sheffield Wednesday signed him for an undisclosed fee in the summer 2023 transfer window, and he made 70 League appearances for the club over his two years at Hillsborough.

He became a popular player among Wednesday supporters, and the emotional note that he posted upon confirmation that he was being released by the club, in which he said that "I always felt like I belonged here", indicated that this was reciprocated.

Figures from Sofascore

With Capology having estimated his wage at £2,000-a-week, he could make an excellent addition to a Championship team looking to bolster their defensive options ahead of the 2025/26 season.