Football League World
·5 September 2023
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·5 September 2023
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It was always going to be difficult for Sheffield Wednesday coming up from League One to the Championship.
Arguably, this was going to be the case even more so following the departure of the man who led them to promotion in the first place - Darren Moore.
Xisco Munoz, of course, arrived as Moore's replacement, but so far, good results have been hard to come by for the Spaniard.
Sheffield Wednesday are winless in their first five league matches of the season, for example, with four of these ending in defeat.
In more positive news, the Owls did pick up their first point of the season heading into the international break.
A 0-0 draw with Leeds United at Elland Road was a good result for the club given their poor start, and the hope will be that they can continue to pick up more points when the Championship resumes later this month.
Of course, ahead of the transfer deadline, Sheffield Wednesday did some rather late transfer business that they hope will help them improve greatly.
One of the players to arrive was Jeff Hendrick, with the experienced midfielder joining from Newcastle United on a loan deal for the season.
Hendrick has over 400 senior appearances to his name, and a wealth of experience on the international stage, too.
There were further reinforcements in the midfield department aside from Hendrick, too, with John Buckley also arriving at the club on deadline day.
The young midfielder also joins the Owls on a season-long loan deal.
Upon his arrival at Wednesday, Buckley told Sheffield Wednesday club media: “I have an affinity with Wednesday, I made my debut against Wednesday and scored my first goal!
“On top of that, when I was a lot younger, the coach was a big Wednesday fan, and he brought me to Hillsborough to watch games. He said I’d love it and I did.
“I looked at the stadium then and thought it was amazing, it’s a massive club and now here I am. “I know Barry Bannan as well, he really sold the club to me and the same with the manager. “I like his style of play and his principles that really suit me as I’m a creative player who likes to get on the ball and make things happen.
“I’m told it’s a great group of lads at the club, it’s a really exciting move for me and I can’t wait to get started.”
With the above duo signing, it begs the question whether or not they are good additions to this Sheffield Wednesday side.
To help us answer this, we discussed the two deals with former Sheffield Wednesday and England midfielder Carlton Palmer.
On the addition of Buckley, Palmer told FLW:
"It was believed that Buckley was the subject of a £3 million pound bid from Swansea on a permanent deal, but Buckley rejected the move to stay up north.
"Buckley has fallen down the pecking order at Blackburn starting only 21 games last season, but at 23, has played over 100 Championship games, so is a useful acquisition."
Turning his attention to Jeff Hendrick's addition, Palmer added: "Hendrick is 31, is experienced, and has a lot of Championship experience.
"He spent last season out on loan at Reading playing 45 league games. Although they were relegated, that was due to the six point deduction.
After the international break, Sheffield Wednesday host Ipswich Town at Hillsborough, during which both Hendrick and Buckley could potentially make their debuts for the club.