3 players who could follow Callum Paterson out of Sheffield Wednesday in January 2025 | OneFootball

We looked at some of the players who could potentially leave Sheffield Wednesday in the January transfer window.

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

Wednesday secured survival last season following a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl, and despite a mixed start to the new campaign, there is still plenty of optimism that they can climb the table in the year ahead.

It was a busy summer for the Owls with 11 new signings arriving at Hillsborough during the course of the transfer window, while a number of key players signed new contracts, including Liam Palmer, Dominic Iorfa, Di'Shon Bernard, Barry Bannan and Josh Windass.

Given the influx of new additions in the summer, it could be a much quieter January transfer window for Wednesday, but Rohl will still be keen to strengthen his squad, and he may look to sanction the departures of some of those who are not in his plans.

Callum Paterson's Sheffield Wednesday exit in January looks inevitable

Given his lack of game time this season, one Wednesday player who seems certain to move on in January is forward Callum Paterson.

Paterson joined the Owls from Cardiff City in September 2020, and he has played in a host of positions over the last four years, including right-back, centre-back, central midfield, out wide and up front.

The 30-year-old played an important role in his side's survival last season as he registered two assists in 27 appearances, and Wednesday took up their option to keep him at the club for a further year this summer.

However, Paterson has struggled for minutes in the early stages of this season, and while he has been used as a substitute a little more regularly in recent weeks, he has been brought on incredibly late in games, suggesting he remains out of favour.

The Star claimed that Paterson was free to leave Wednesday in the summer if the club received a suitable offer, and it seems likely that they will take a similar stance in January, while the Scot will surely be keen to depart if he is unable to break into the team over the coming months.

With the January transfer window fast approaching, we looked at three players who could be joining Paterson in heading out of the exit door at Hillsborough.

Pierce Charles

Goalkeeper Pierce Charles is one of Wednesday's brightest young prospects, and he looks likely to have a big future ahead of him at the club.

Charles has started all three of the Owls' EFL Cup games this season, and he starred for Northern Ireland during the recent international break, keeping two clean sheets against Belarus and Bulgaria and showing impressive quality with his distribution.

The 19-year-old's stock is rapidly rising, and some Wednesday supporters have even questioned whether he should be given a chance as the club's number one, but Brighton & Hove Albion loanee James Beadle has cemented his place between the sticks, so it seems unlikely that Charles will receive any minutes in the league this season.

Charles seems destined to become Rohl's first choice next season when Beadle returns to the Amex Stadium, and with that in mind, the German may be keen to send him out on loan in the second half of the campaign in order for him to gain some crucial senior experience.

League One side Crawley Town reportedly enquired about signing Charles on loan this summer, and he should have plenty of third tier suitors in January if he is allowed to depart Hillsborough temporarily.

Michael Smith

Striker Michael Smith joined Wednesday from local rivals Rotherham United in the summer of 2022, and he played a key role in their promotion from League One in his first season at the club, scoring 20 goals and providing eight assists in 49 games.

However, Smith's game time became limited in the Championship, and after he scored just four goals in 34 appearances last season, it seemed likely that he would be moving on in the summer.

Ambitious League One promotion hopefuls Wrexham were said to be among a number of EFL clubs interested in Smith this summer, but he remained at Hillsborough, and with many of the Owls' strikers struggling for form, he has played a much bigger part than many had expected in the early stages of this season.

However, many of Smith's minutes have come from the bench, suggesting that Rohl is still not fully convinced about the 33-year-old, and with his contract expiring in the summer, Wednesday may decide to cash in on him in January rather than losing him for free.

Charlie McNeill

Charlie McNeill is another striker facing an uncertain future at Hillsborough ahead of the January transfer window.

McNeill joined Wednesday on a free transfer this summer following his release by Manchester United, with the club reportedly fighting off competition from Lazio, Torino, LA Galaxy and Toronto to land his signature.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a dream debut for the Owls as he scored twice in the 2-1 win at Hull City in the EFL Cup first round in August, but he has been unable to build on that, and he has frequently been left out of the matchday squad altogether in the league.

While McNeill was always likely to be viewed by Rohl as a development signing, the former England youth international will be concerned by the fact he has not been given a chance, particularly given the aforementioned goalscoring issues of the club's other strikers.