"We cannot lose him" - Transfer claim made on Sheffield Wednesday star Di'Shon Bernard | OneFootball

The Owls have had issues with injuries in defence this season, and cannot afford to let Di'Shon Bernard go.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sheffield Wednesday have had an inconsistent start to the 2024/25 Championship campaign, but they have been able to push themselves away from any early threat of relegation.

The Owls have improved greatly under the guidance of Danny Rohl, and compared to 12 months ago, they are in a much stronger position. At this point last season, they had won just one game, and were rooted to the bottom of the table with just six points - 10 points off safety.

Nevertheless, despite the positives, there is still a huge amount of room for improvement from the Yorkshire club, and the upcoming January transfer window does offer them the chance to strengthen in a bid to push further up the league table.

However, there will also be fears for Sheffield Wednesday supporters that some of their best players will be targeted by others, and they must avoid selling their key stars this winter.

Verdict made on player who Sheffield Wednesday cannot afford to lose

The Owls put further pressure on Tim Walter on Tuesday evening thanks to an excellent 2-0 win over Hull City at the MKM Stadium, ensuring that the Tigers remain in the relegation zone.

Rohl's side are now seven points clear of their Yorkshire rivals, but they will not ease up in their push away from those sides occupying the dropzone, and it is incredibly important that they stay strong defensively.

They have had their issues at the back, mostly brought on by injuries, and Football League World's Sheffield Wednesday Fan Pundit, Patrick McKenna, has named one of his team's centre-backs as the player who must not be sold in the January transfer window.

"I do think there is a chance that we will get some interest in Di’Shon Bernard," he started. "The reason we cannot lose him is that he is playing in a position where we are low on numbers due to injuries. We’ve got Akin Famewo and Michael Ihiekwe coming back to fitness, but we've been improvising in that position and playing players there who aren't natural centre-backs.

"Bernard is our best centre-back; you can see that in games. He's calm on the ball, he's very good at ushering players out of play, and he's just that step above the other players. You'd just be more confident that he'll be able to put in that important tackle or that interception, and he's quite good compared to some of the other defenders with the ball at his feet."

Patrick continued: "I just don't want to lose the best player in a position where we are running low and there are no guarantees that we'll be able to get someone in to replace him. I would like to think, regarding our centre-back situation, that we will be adding players to that position rather than losing them.

"So, hopefully there's a lack of interest in him in January and if there is interest, it is rebuffed by the club."

Bernard has been impressively solid this season

It has been a very up-and-down season so far for Sheffield Wednesday, but players like Bernard have shown a good level of consistency and have allowed their team to push further up the table.

While he has perhaps had some difficulties in games, for example against Watford, he has been a leader for the most part at the back and, at just 24-years-old, he has a bright future at Hillsborough.

It would be very difficult for the Owls to find a replacement for Bernard at short notice, and therefore, keeping hold of him in the January window must be seen as a priority. Their injury problems have significantly hampered their defensive strength, but the former Manchester United man has stepped up.

He has won 75% of the tackles that he has put in, and often cleans up at the back for Rohl when opponents get through to the last line of defence.

Bernard will be crucial to Sheffield Wednesday in the latter stages of the season, especially if they are pushed back towards the relegation fight, and this winter must not be seen as an opportunity to cash in on the talent that he is.