Exclusive: Chris Waddle raises scouting "problem" at Sheffield Wednesday | OneFootball

Chris Waddle has urged Wednesday to move fast if they are to follow previous transfer trends

Sheffield Wednesday have begun to shape their next chapter with the release of their retained list ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Seven senior players will depart the club this summer, while key figures including Barry Bannan, Josh Windass and Michael Smith are set to remain - either through new contract offers or activated extension clauses.

The announcement, which comes just ahead of the May 17th EFL deadline, offers a degree of clarity as the Owls head into what promises to be a crucial summer rebuild.

Amid continued uncertainty around ownership and potential managerial changes, the decisions taken this week provide early signals of the direction Wednesday may take.

But as Chris Waddle explains in an exclusive interview with Football League World, there are still major challenges to address if the club is to strengthen and progress next season.

Chris Waddle highlights crucial squad decisions facing Sheffield Wednesday

With a transformative summer ahead for the Owls, Football League World spoke with Chris Waddle in an exclusive interview to ask what Wednesday’s priorities should be in the upcoming transfer windows.

“The problem they’ve got, Wednesday, is that they don’t really have a scouting system and you know they'll be looking at the free transfer lists more than anything.” Waddle told FLW.

“Listen, there are some good players on free transfers and then it comes down to wages, if they fit into that bracket. I'm sure that'll be a priority for it - I think Wednesday will be looking at the free transfer market.

“I don't think they're going to go and say there's a million quid for this player or that player. I think they'll be looking at the players who will be released from Premier League clubs and Championship clubs and this is the way they've got to go.

“But, they have to do it within the next two or three weeks before these players run out of contract - they need to talk to these players now who are getting released or have had enough with a football club - of a certain club - and they want to move on. You know, there are still talented players out there who will be available.

Waddle did, however, have reservations about trying to entice free agents to the club in its current climate, with managerial change and ownership issues dominating the pre-transfer window narrative.

“But with Chansiri, we don't know if he's going to sell, does he want too much money for this guy that wants to buy it? I think he's serious about it, but he's not going to get, you know, he's not going to pay over the odds and this is where Chansiri has got to be realistic and he's got to say, for the good of the club ‘yes, you know, I'm not losing money, I'm not, I'm making a bit’, but he should have said, you know, ‘I need to move his club on’.

“If this club wants to go the right direction, he's not going to take it to the next level. And so hopefully he can sort a deal out and these new guys buy it and invest in the club.

“But it's like, what if they get it and you sign seven, eight players now, free transfers, but you think we want better than that? And, you know, this is why it's got to be done now.

“So whoever goes in as manager, I'm sure Danny Rohl will leave regardless of what happens, unless somebody comes in and offers a lot of money to spend and has a desire to get into the Premier League. But I think he'll leave whatever, and if somebody buys his clause out, I think he will go.

“And then he's looking at probably Henrik [Pedersen], his assistant who could probably step in, knows the club now, knows the players. Very talented guy, you know - it's not just about Danny - I think Henriks's got a big part to play and I think the two of them have been very good.

“So, yeah, I would like to see probably you know, if Chansiri stays, I'm sure Danny Rohl does get bought out on his clause, I’m sure Henrik will be the next one in line, which is not bad, he knows the club and I'm sure he has players lined up.

“I'm sure they went through lists already of players that they'd love to sign. It's just getting that nod from Chansiri who's probably saying, I can’t give you the nod at the minute because I may be selling in the club and I don't know what the new owners are going to do. But they do need to get it sorted quickly.”

Sheffield Wednesday's next chapter demands rapid action from decision makers

The confirmed departures of seven players, combined with the retention of influential figures like Bannan and Windass, represent the first steps in what must be a proactive and coherent summer for Sheffield Wednesday.

However, this initial clarity does little to dispel the broader uncertainty that still hangs over Hillsborough.

With Danny Röhl’s Owls future unresolved and questions continuing over Dejphon Chansiri’s ownership, the club’s long-term direction remains in flux.

Whoever is tasked with leading Wednesday forward - whether existing figures or new faces - must act decisively.

Recruitment, coaching stability and strategic planning will define whether the Owls can push on from their mid-table finish and build a squad capable of competing higher up the Championship table.