"It will bite us" - Sheffield Wednesday transfer window "fear" revealed | OneFootball

FLW's Wednesday fan pundit has his say on what he wishes there Owls had done differently this January.

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…

The January transfer window turned out to be a fairly quiet affair for Danny Röhl and Sheffield Wednesday.

There were just two new additions to the squad, with former Southampton midfielder Stuart Armstrong arriving from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps and winger Ibrahim Cissoko joining on loan from Toulouse, after his previous loan spell with Plymouth had been cut short.

Röhl faced a battle with chairman and owner Dejphon Chansiri in order to receive funds to bolster the squad.

Wednesday did at least manage to keep hold of impressive Southampton loanee Shea Charles after Chansiri had previously announced his recall during a fiery fans’ forum in the middle of January.

Sheffield Wednesday should have transfer window regrets

Despite a positive first half of the season for Wednesday, several members of the fanbase have once again been left feeling frustrated at the end of a transfer window.

While the additions Röhl was able to make will likely end up playing key roles in the side, there is certainly a feeling that the Owls needed more.

With that in mind, we asked FLW’s resident Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, if there was anything he wished his team had done, but didn’t, during the January window.

Patrick said: “I think a key area which was not addressed and a lot of fans are frustrated about is the fact that the window has shut and there is no new centre-back in at Hillsborough.

“It is an area where we desperately need some backup and new blood. Our defence has been an achilles heel this season. We’ve been low in numbers and have had to play unnatural centre-backs in that role. We have been conceding soft goals, which have been down to lack of calmness and assurance and leadership at times.

“So definitely, we were crying out for at least one new centre-back to come in and help the current backline address the weaknesses. If there is something that’s going to stop us on the field this season, it is the amount of goals conceded and getting in centre-backs would have been absolutely crucial to address that.

“There is definitely a fear that that is going to bite us. If there are more games where we’ve thrown away points through poor defending, then the consequences of the recruitment will most likely be felt.”

Sheffield Wednesday’s defensive record simply must improve

Röhl has once again done a fantastic job at Hillsborough this season. The young German boss has taken a squad that stayed up by the skin of its teeth last season (and largely due to his own successes) and turned it into one that has a genuine shot at finishing in the play-off positions.

He has done all of that with little investment, which is testament to just how good a manager he is at present.

That said, if his Owls side are to finish in the top six come the end of the season, their defensive record simply must improve.

Wednesday have already conceded 46 goals in the league so far this season, a tally that gives them the division’s fifth-worst defensive record at the moment.

Perhaps more crucially, Röhl’s men have conceded more than anyone else in the Championship’s top 15.

With Wednesday looking like being one of countless sides embroiled in a thrilling race for the bottom two play-off spots, it goes without saying that the defensive side of their game simply must improve if they are to finish in the top six.

It will likely be extremely fine margins that end up deciding who earns themselves a potential shot at the Premier League in May and Wednesday will likely regret it if they do not sort out their backline.