Sheffield Wednesday identify Danny Rohl replacement amid Southampton exit talks | OneFootball

The Owls appear to have found their number one target to succeed Danny Rohl should he make a switch to the Saints.

Sheffield Wednesday have placed assistant head coach Henrik Pedersen at the top of their list to replace Danny Rohl should he depart for Southampton in the summer.

That's according to journalist Alan Nixon reporting via Patreon on Sunday, in what is the latest twist in this Hillsborough dugout saga.

Rohl has been heavily linked with the Southampton job for quite some time now, as the Saints are understood as being ready to take advantage of the Owls boss' reduced compensation fee of under £4m once their relegation to the Championship is confirmed.

Sheffield Wednesday assistant Henrik Pedersen top of Owls wishlist to replace Danny Rohl

As revealed by Nixon on Sunday, Wednesday have shortlisted Pedersen as being a top candidate to succeed Rohl if/when he leaves for St. Mary's.

Nixon states that Pedersen is a popular figure among the club's hierarchy, and his coaching experience has him marked down as being a leading favourite to take over the reins from his current Wednesday colleague.

Pedersen, 47, left his role as the manager of Danish side Vendsyssel FF in October 2023 to join Rohl's backroom team as the club's assistant head coach, which is the position he's held ever since.

Henrik Pedersen would be a major gamble for Sheffield Wednesday to take

Having worked under Rohl for some time now, it would be safe to presume that should he be handed the full-time manager role, many of his principles and tactics could follow those of the Wednesday boss closely.

If that is the case, then appointing him would make a lot of sense for the club's hierarchy given the success that Rohl has had during his time at Hillsborough.

However, Pedersen, despite being well-travelled in the coaching world having spent time holding managerial roles in Norwegian, German, Danish and Ghanaian football respectively, it's probably safe to say that taking charge of a club like Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship would be his biggest and most high-profile challenge of his career to date.

However, the Dane is clearly a popular figure amongst the Wednesday players, as Barry Bannan outlined in February last year: "He's a bit mad," Bannan said of Pedersen via The Star.

"He shouts a lot but he is amazing really, coaching-wise and tactically he's unbelievable and he can have a laugh as well, which is good. He's got a bit of everything about him but his actual tactical side is crazy. He's very vocal on the training pitch and he takes a lot of the sessions.

"Tactically, when it comes to building up with the ball and stuff, he offers these little tips that are just crazy. You'll be out on the pitch and something will happen and it'll trigger you back to something that he said would happen. He's really good at his job and he's a lovely man as well which is a bonus. He's a good guy to have, he's very energetic."

Judging by those comments, Pedersen would be a popular choice among the Owls squad, and so it remains to be seen whether that support of the dressing room will see him win the competition to replace Rohl in the future.