Sheffield Wednesday weighing up player exit after multiple enquiries | OneFootball

The Owls could facilitate a departure before the start of the January window.

Non-league clubs are reportedly interested in signing Sheffield Wednesday defender Sam Reed on loan.

That's according to The Star and the report suggests the Owls player could depart before the end of 2025.

The January window will offer the Owls the opportunity to revitalise their squad after a gruelling first half of the season. They haven't quite lived up to the dark horse expectations that some had for them, but they are certainly better than the Wednesday team of a year ago.

Getting business done in the first month of the year can be tricky. Teams don't always want to sell, there can be inflated prices and, for the ones that clubs are looking to move on from, it's not always easy to find teams that want to take players on.

You're very reliant on others in January, but, luckily for Wednesday, they may be able to get some business done before the close of the year.

Non-league clubs eyeing up Sheffield Wednesday's Sam Reed

According to The Star, a host of non-league clubs are interested in taking Reed on loan. Wednesday are said to have received enquiries about his availability, and there's a chance that a move away from Hillsborough for the 21-year-old defender could come about before the January window.

Non-league teams are allowed to make transfers throughout the season up until the end of March, unlike their professional counterparts, making a move for Reed possible before the winter window opens in the EFL and Premier League.

Reed is a regular in Wednesday's under-21s team, who he has captained on multiple occasions. There was interest in him earlier in the season from clubs of a similar level to the one that are supposedly looking at him now, but the Owls didn't permit any move for him.

One of the big reasons for getting him out on loan is to gain experience. He made his debut for the club in the FA Cup earlier in the year, but opportunities in the first team have been few and far between for him, so it makes sense to get him somewhere that is going to offer him that chance.

Wednesday have let a few of their players leave on loan already this season. From the first team, Bailey Cadamarteri and Mallik Wilks joined League One outfits Lincoln City and Rotherham United respectively in the summer window. The Steel City side also already have a couple of players - Jack Hall and Mackenzie Maltby - out on loan in the non-leagues.

EFL clubs need to facilitate loan moves for their young players where they can

It feels like the importance of a loan move for a young up-and-coming player has been lost a bit by some teams. Talented teens will sit in the youth system up until their early 20s and often have not got any sort of senior minutes under their belt in that time.

The problem with that is that senior football is so different from youth team football. The intensity and physicality are on a different level.

It takes a special type of player to make the jump straight from the under-21s to the first-team without having undergone some form of loan move beforehand, especially in the Championship. Some people need that chance to adapt at a lower level, but it's not always facilitated.

It's also a great way to test whether these academy products will be up to the challenge of first-team football. If Reed flourishes in the National League, or just below, then he'll be ready to make the next step up the pyramid and eventually work his way towards a first-team spot with Wednesday. That'll struggle to happen if he doesn't go out on loan, though.