The 5 Sheffield Wednesday players set to become free agents next year | OneFootball

FLW looks at which Owls players will be leaving the club at the end of their contracts next summer as things stand.

Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping for a much-improved campaign in the Championship this season.

Wednesday secured safety last season following a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl, and there is plenty of optimism that they can climb the table in the year ahead.

Rohl signed a new long-term contract at Hillsborough in May, and it was an incredibly busy summer as the German rebuilt his squad, with 11 new signings arriving during the course of the transfer window.

In addition to the influx of new signings, key players such as Liam Palmer, Dominic Iorfa, Di'Shon Bernard, Barry Bannan and Josh Windass all put pen to paper on new deals, meaning that the Owls will be in a much stronger position at the end of the season than they were this summer, when an incredible 19 players were out of contract.

However, there are still a number of players who have entered the final year of their contracts, and we looked at who will be leaving the club next summer as things stand.

Pol Valentin

Defender Pol Valentin made the move to Wednesday from Spanish side Sporting Gijon last summer, and he made 40 appearances in all competitions last season.

Valentin endured a tough start to his Owls career, but he was one of the club's most improved players over the course of the campaign, and he played a crucial role in his side's survival.

The 27-year-old's place in the team came under threat at the start of the season following the arrival of Yan Valery, but he remains an important part of the squad, and he has been used in a right-wing back role in recent weeks.

Wednesday rejected a bid from Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv for Valentin last month, with Rohl emphatically stating that there were "no question marks" about the fact he would remain at the club, and a new contract could be on the cards for him over the coming months.

Akin Famewo

Akin Famewo joined Wednesday from Norwich City in July 2022, and Rohl is known to be a big admirer of the defender.

Famewo missed the start of the season through injury, but he has starred on the left side of a back three since returning to fitness, and he looks to be one of the first names on the team sheet at this point.

With his current deal due to expire in the summer, the Owls are reportedly hoping to tie Famewo down to a new contract before the January transfer window, and as he is still only 25 years of age, there could be plenty more to come from him in the years ahead.

Marvin Johnson

Marvin Johnson made the move to Hillsborough from Middlesbrough in August 2021, and Wednesday exercised an option to keep him at the club for a further year this summer, completing an incredible turnaround in fortunes for the winger.

Despite playing a key role in the club's promotion from League One in the 2022-23 campaign, Johnson was frozen out by former manager Xisco Munoz at the start of last season, but he was immediately brought back into the fold by Rohl.

Johnson's return to the team coincided with an upturn in form for the Owls, and he went on to score four goals and provide four assists in 30 appearances last season to help his side to safety.

New signing Max Lowe was preferred ahead of Johnson in the early weeks of this season, but he has once again proven his worth after being restored to the team, and the 33-year-old will be hoping to earn another new deal next summer.

Callum Paterson

Callum Paterson joined Wednesday from Cardiff City in September 2020, and he has been an incredibly useful member of the squad over the last four years, playing in a host of different positions, including centre-back, wing-back, central midfield and up front.

After Paterson registered two assists in 27 appearances last season, the Owls triggered an option to keep him at Hillsborough for a further year this summer, but he has surprisingly fallen out of favour this campaign.

Paterson made his first league appearance of the season when he came on as a late substitute in the 2-1 win at Coventry City before the international break, which could suggest that Rohl's stance on the Scot has changed.

However, that seems unlikely given that he was reportedly free to leave the club this summer if a suitable offer came along, and his departure in the January transfer window seems likely.

Michael Smith

Striker Michael Smith made the move across South Yorkshire to join Wednesday from local rivals Rotherham United in June 2022, and he played a crucial role in Wednesday's promotion from League One in his first season at the club, scoring 20 goals and registering eight assists in 49 games.

Smith's minutes became a little more limited in the Championship, and after he scored just four goals in 34 appearances last season, it was widely assumed that he would leave the club this summer, with ambitious League One side Wrexham said to have been among a number of EFL clubs interested in the 32-year-old.

However, Smith remained at Hillsborough, and with many of the club's strikers struggling for form this season, he has played a much bigger part than many had expected, so the prospect of a new contract next summer should not be ruled out.