The 5 Sheffield Wednesday players we can see leaving in January | OneFootball

We looked at some of the Sheffield Wednesday players who could leave the club during 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 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 the positivity around the club increased after a busy summer transfer window that saw the arrival of 11 new signings.

While the Owls' transfer business initially looked strong, their mixed start to the new season has highlighted some areas of weakness in the squad, and Rohl will be keen to address those in January.

The first few weeks of the campaign have also given an indication as to which players may not be part of Rohl's plans moving forward, and we looked at who could be set to leave the club during the winter window.

Pierce Charles

Goalkeeper Pierce Charles is undoubtedly Wednesday's brightest academy prospect, and he signed a new contract at Hillsborough this summer.

Charles has started all three of the Owls' EFL Cup games this season, and he has not looked out of place in those matches, making a number of excellent saves and showing impressive confidence with the ball at his feet.

League One side Crawley Town reportedly enquired about signing Charles on loan this summer, but Wednesday were unable to allow him to depart while Ben Hamer was out injured.

However, Hamer is now back to full fitness, and given that Charles looks likely to become the Owls' number one next season when James Beadle returns to Brighton & Hove Albion, Rohl may be keen send him out on loan in the second half of the campaign to get him some crucial senior minutes.

Gabriel Otegbayo

Defender Gabriel Otegbayo joined Wednesday in March following a short trial period, and he has been a surprise inclusion in the first team this season.

Otegbayo made his debut for the Owls as a substitute in the 2-1 win at Hull City in the EFL Cup in August before starting for the first time in the 1-0 victory at Blackpool in the third round of the competition last month, and he earned praise from Rohl after the game at Bloomfield Road.

"He [Otegbayo] trained very well in the last weeks. When I saw him for the first time I had a feeling that we can improve him," Rohl told the club's official website.

"He has a good facility, a good body, he is talking and leads the group even though he is younger.

"He is calm and it was a good performance. There was just one moment in the first half, but in such a game this is normal.

"All in all, it was a good performance."

The 19-year-old is clearly highly-rated by Rohl, but with the likes of Dominic Iorfa, Di'Shon Bernard, Michael Ihiekwe and Akin Famewo ahead of him in the pecking order, his game time is likely to be limited this season, so a loan spell could be hugely beneficial for his development.

Sean Fusire

Midfielder Sean Fusire is another talented youngster who has been involved in the Wednesday first team this season.

Fusire has started all three of Owls' EFL Cup games, and he has also been included in the matchday squad in the league, suggesting that Rohl has big plans for him in the future.

Rohl opted against sending Fusire out on loan in the summer, telling The Star: "I am convinced it will be most helpful for him to train with us again and again.

"He trains with us in the first team, he has changed changing room from the academy to the first team which means he is always a part of our training and you see him day by day. He was injured in the academy for a long, long time and you will always have with players ups and downs, but in training he has performed, he has improved and made huge steps forward."

But as with Charles and Otegbayo, it is difficult to see Fusire receiving game time this season with Shea Charles, Nathaniel Chalobah, Svante Ingelsson and Barry Bannan ahead of him, and a loan could be the ideal opportunity for him to show Rohl what he is capable of and put himself in contention for a starting spot next term.

Callum Paterson

Callum Paterson made the move to Hillsborough from Cardiff City in September 2020, and he has played in a host of positions for Wednesday over the last four years, including right-back, centre-back, central midfield, out wide and up front.

After returning from injury towards the end of last season, Paterson played an important role in his side's survival, and the Owls triggered their option to keep him at the club for another year this summer.

However, Paterson has surprisingly found himself out of favour in the early weeks of the campaign, and even scoring a double in the 5-1 win at Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup in August has not been enough for him to force his way into the team in the league.

The Star claimed that Paterson was free to leave Wednesday in the summer if the club received a suitable offer, and while a move did not materialise, his exit in January seems inevitable.

Charlie McNeill

Striker Charlie 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.

McNeill enjoyed a dream debut for the Owls as he scored twice in the 2-1 win at Hull in the EFL Cup, but he has struggled to build on his impressive start, and he has frequently been left out of the matchday squad in the league.

It seems that Rohl has doubts over whether McNeill is ready for the Championship, and given that he has endured underwhelming loan spells with Stevenage and Newport County in League One and League Two respectively in recent years, he may need a little more time to develop before featuring regularly in the second tier.

McNeill is a player with a lot of potential, and he has already shown during his time at Hillsborough that he can be a clinical finisher, but a loan move could be the right option for the 21-year-old in January to give him more experience of senior football.