Sheffield Wednesday: Danny Rohl must dream of repeat of 2020 January masterstroke | OneFootball

The Owls signed Josh Windass on loan in January 2020, how Danny Rohl would like a similar deal this time around

The January transfer window is just around the corner, and Danny Rohl, along with the Sheffield Wednesday hierarchy, will have begun planning their business as they look for a strong second half of the season.

It's been a mixed bag so far this season for the Owls, but supporters will surely take that given the way last season transpired, and they needed a final day win to secure their Championship status.

Given the way Rohl's side performed in the latter stages of the season, some supporters may have got their hopes up of a potential play-off push, but that always seemed unlikely this year.

While it looks like Wednesday will be a mid-table side this season, Rohl will still be looking to strengthen his squad in January for a strong end to the season, which will lay the foundations for next year.

The January transfer window is always a notoriously difficult month to do business in, but Rohl should look to a January 2020 deal as inspiration for what could be achieved.

Danny Rohl must dream of January 2020 Josh Windass masterstroke

In the January 2020 transfer window, Josh Windass was signed from Wigan Athletic, initially on loan, but he's become something of a cult-hero in the years that followed.

Nearly five years on from his arrival at Hillsborough, Windass is still going strong at the club, and continues to play as an important role as he did when he first joined the club.

The attacker has made over 150 appearances for the club, registering over 60 goals and assists, just highlighting what an impact he's made at the club.

It also shows that while January is a notoriously difficult month to do business in, it's still possible and Windass is proof of that.

When it comes to planning his January business, Rohl would surely love a repeat of Windass' arrival just shy of five years ago, and it would prove an inspiration to the Wednesday boss that good business is there to be done when the window opens.

When Windass arrived on a short-term loan in January 2020, probably nobody would have envisaged him making such an impact at Hillsborough, but his performances during the 2019/20 campaign saw his loan turned into a permanent one the following summer.

It's proved an excellent decision with Windass coming up with some memorable moments, not least his late extra-time goal to seal promotion to the Championship in the 2023 play-off final against Barnsley, and who knows where the club would be now had he not scored that goal.

Rohl should be looking for any January deal to make the same impact that Windass has, and a deal like that would really help them to kick on during the second half of the season.

January will be a pivotal month for Sheffield Wednesday

While they don't look set to trouble either end of the Championship table, similar to Wednesday in 2020 when Windass was brought in, it allows them to set the foundations in place for next season while building momentum and confidence.

Rohl should be looking to bring players in with the future in mind, even if that's on loan with the potential to buy them in the summer, similar to what happened with Windass.

The Owls brought a number of players in during the summer months as they looked to rebuild after narrowly avoiding relegation to League One, but further recruits could well be needed in January.

However, being shrewd in the transfer market will be crucial, and if Rohl needs any inspiration from years gone by, he should just look at the impact Windass made five years ago.