"I am absolutely gobsmacked" - Reaction given to huge Sheffield Wednesday, Danny Rohl twist | OneFootball

FLW Fan Pundit Patrick reacts to the huge news that Danny Röhl is set for a return to the helm at Sheffield Wednesday.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Danny Röhl is preparing to return to his role as Sheffield Wednesday manager, according to a surprise update from BBC Radio Sheffield's Rob Staton.

This comes just weeks after Röhl was expected to leave the club following a breakdown in relations with owner Dejphon Chansiri, and other reports that he was actively pursuing opportunities elsewhere.

But now, in a dramatic twist, the 35-year-old German coach appears ready to make a stunning U-turn, and hopes are rising that a long-awaited takeover at Hillsborough could finally be in sight.

Huge U-turn as Röhl set to return

Speaking to Football League World, Owls Fan Pundit Patrick McKenna was asked whether he could have seen this coming, and said: "I am absolutely gobsmacked by the news. I was not expecting that in a million years."

"I had accepted a long time ago that he wanted to leave. It felt like an inevitability," said Patrick. "But now, for him to be coming back is absolutely sensational, and I am delighted. It really shows that the issue in this scenario was Chansiri."

Röhl's original desire to leave was widely understood to have stemmed from his fractured relationship with the controversial Owls owner.

The pair had clashed repeatedly, particularly after Röhl was blocked from taking a job at Southampton last December, followed by a string of broken promises during the January transfer window.

Patrick believes the blame never lay with Röhl: "He made his intentions clear and that the relationship was broken. There were lots of broken promises that pushed him out. Some fans have, in a sense, turned against him, and you might say he's come crawling back. But I think that is absolute nonsense."

"He was never disloyal to the fans or Wednesday."

With Wednesday enduring a chaotic summer, including missed wage payments and multiple embargoes as a result, Röhl's return is being seen as a major morale boost. More significantly, a sign of better days ahead.

“If you’d said to me a week ago that a takeover looked likely and Danny Röhl is coming back, I would have called you mad. So this is just fantastic news.”

From exit talks to contract continuation - Röhl's complex summer

The German boss had reportedly been in negotiations to terminate his contract and was linked with jobs at Leicester City, Southampton, and even Bundesliga clubs Wolfsburg, Werder Bremen and RB Leipzig.

However, his £1 million release clause proved to be a stumbling block, and it now appears Röhl will resume his work in South Yorkshire, just days after assistant Henrik Pedersen signed a contract extension.

During his 89 games in charge, Röhl led Wednesday from a near-certain relegation to a 12th-place Championship finish last season, winning praise for his style of play and tactical acumen. Despite this, the club’s off-field chaos threatened to derail his tenure, until now.

A new dawn could be on the horizon at Hillsborough

Whether Danny Röhl's return marks the start of a brighter chapter for Sheffield Wednesday depends on what happens off the pitch in the coming weeks. The BBC reports that NDA's are being signed, and a takeover could be completed "potentially within weeks."

For now, though, fans can enjoy a rare moment of optimism: "This is just fantastic news," Patrick concluded.