Sheffield Wednesday must avoid repeat of disaster Xisco Munoz transfer saga this summer | OneFootball

With a new manager expected at Sheffield Wednesday this summer, they must avoid repeating the mistakes made following the arrival of Xisco Munoz.

As rumours about his future continue to gather pace, Sheffield Wednesday are facing the prospect of losing manager Danny Rohl this summer.

After inspiring a remarkable turnaround to help Wednesday avoid relegation last term, Rohl saw his side emerge as surprise play-off contenders after a strong start to the season, but their promotion push collapsed during a poor second half of the campaign.

A mid-table finish still represents a significant improvement for the Owls from last season, but many fear that progress could be lost if Rohl departs amid reported interest from Southampton, Leicester City and RB Leipzig.

Many Wednesday supporters have long given up hope of keeping hold of Rohl, and recent off-field events, including his public dispute with owner Dejphon Chansiri and the late payment of March's wages, are likely to push him closer to the exit door.

Rohl's seemingly imminent departure raises serious concerns about the future for the Owls, and Chansiri must do everything possible to avoid a repeat of the chaos that unfolded last time he lost a manager during the summer.

Sheffield Wednesday will fear Xisco Munoz repeat ahead of likely Danny Rohl exit

Wednesday secured promotion from League One in 2023 after one of the most incredible play-off campaigns in EFL history, which included coming back from a 4-0 deficit from the first leg against Peterborough United in the semi-finals and Josh Windass scoring a 123rd-minute winner against local rivals Barnsley in the final.

The mood among the Owls faithful could not have been more positive heading into the summer after their dramatic promotion, but the feel-good factor around Hillsborough came crashing down exactly three weeks after the Wembley success when it was announced that manager Darren Moore had left the club by mutual consent.

Moore's exit was followed by weeks of statements and accusations from Chansiri as he fought back against criticism from Wednesday supporters, and after a lengthy search for a new manager, former Watford boss Xisco Munoz arrived in early July.

It is fair to say that the appointment of Munoz was greeted with a mixed reaction, but he had led the Hornets to automatic promotion during his previous spell managing in the Championship, so most were willing to give him a chance.

However, the club's summer transfer business was significantly delayed by managerial saga, and having completed their training camp in Spain with a threadbare squad, the Owls were looking seriously underprepared for the start of the new season.

Wednesday were without a manager when they completed their first deal of the summer in late June, with Reece James joining on a permanent basis from Blackpool after a successful loan spell at Hillsborough the previous season, but while his return was welcomed, the club were in desperate need of new faces.

Munoz did not make his first signing as Owls manager until the 24th July - just over a week before the opening game of the season - and a flurry of new additions arrived over the following month, with most joining on either loans or free transfers.

In Munoz's defence, he was forced to build a squad in an incredibly limited time period, and he did unearth some gems, including the likes of Di'Shon Bernard, Anthony Musaba and Djeidi Gassama, who remain a crucial part of the team to this day, but many of his signings proved to be total flops, such as Devis Vasquez, Momo Diaby, Jeff Hendrick, John Buckley, Juan Delgado and Ashley Fletcher.

Dejphon Chansiri must learn lessons from Xisco Munoz nightmare

Wednesday were widely considered to have one of the weakest squads in the Championship after their disastrous summer, but their start to the season was even worse than the most pessimistic of supporters could have expected.

The Owls lost their first four league games of the season, which instantly gave them a mountain to climb to stay in the division, and having scraped past League Two side Stockport County on penalties in the EFL Cup, they were knocked out by another fourth tier outfit, Mansfield Town, on spot-kicks in the next round of the competition.

There was a brief moment of encouragement when Wednesday drew 0-0 with promotion favourites Leeds United at Elland Road, but that proved to be nothing more than a false dawn, and Munoz would only pick up one point from the following five games before being sacked in early October.

Despite sitting bottom of the table with just three points to their name when Rohl replaced Munoz, the Owls somehow managed to secure Championship survival, but that was almost entirely down to the German's managerial brilliance, and Chansiri was certainly let off the hook for his woeful decision-making during the summer that left the club ill-equipped for the second tier.

While it seems highly unlikely that Rohl's departure and the subsequent appointment of his replacement will drag on until July, there is a chance that Wednesday could face a lengthy wait for the 36-year-old's future to be determined, particularly given that Southampton, Leicester and RB Leipzig's seasons do not finish until the end of May.

With that in mind, Chansiri must have a contigency plan in place that he can put into action immediately after Rohl leaves, and given that almost all of the Owls' recruitment is manager-led, it is crucial that his successor is appointed swiftly to give the club time to strengthen the squad in the transfer market.

The impact of Rohl's departure could be mitigated if there was a proper structure at board level, but Chansiri has continually shown a reluctance to reduce his level of control over football matters, and many are concerned that failure to act decisively this summer could land Wednesday in a relegation battle next season.