Sheffield Wednesday fans are beginning to become alarmed at the shape of the first-team squad, especially when compared to Championship rivals.
The future of Sheffield Wednesday is looking bleak at this moment, with Dejphon Chansiri overseeing a challenging period for the football club.
Several players have departed Sheffield Wednesday this summer, including last season’s top scorer Josh Windass.
Sheffield Wednesday star Windass departed alongside Michael Smith, with the pair’s contracts ending after a mutual agreement.
On top of that, Djeidi Gassama and Anthony Musaba have been sold, whilst a handful of Owls players departed at the end of their contracts following the conclusion of the 2024/25 season.
The spine of Sheffield Wednesday’s first team has been shattered, leaving the fractured skeleton of a Championship side remaining, and when compared to other teams in the league, it raises serious concerns.
Photo by Scott Llewellyn | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesHow Sheffield Wednesday’s squad size compares to Championship rivals
Sheffield Wednesday’s pre-season preparations have mainly been centred around getting the young players up to speed, due to the continuous whittling down of first-teamers at the club.
It has already been shown that many of Sheffield Wednesday’s goal scorers have moved on, such as the likes of Djeidi Gassama, Josh Windass, and Michael Smith. However, it isn’t just the quality of personnel moving on that raises alarm bells, but also the sheer quantity of players heading to the departure lounge.
Below is a table, via Transfermarkt, which shows how many first-team players are currently at the club.
Squad sizes, according to Transfermarkt
What makes it far more grim is not just that Sheffield Wednesday have less than half the players of some Championship rivals, but that this also includes the likes of Max Lowe and others who are being linked with moves away from the club.
Photo by Rachel Holborn – BRFC/Getty ImagesContinuous player sales will leave Sheffield Wednesday with a huge uphill battle
As things stand, the 2025/26 Championship season is set to be incredibly testing for Sheffield Wednesday, especially if they are not able to tie down the future of Barry Bannan at the club and/or bring back Callum Paterson, as they reportedly intend to do.
Transfer embargoes were always going to plague Sheffield Wednesday with concerns, but the way it has been handled will come back to cause serious issues this season for the club.
The way the squad is shaping up, we are entering the territory of survival in the Championship being a hope, rather than an aim. Players in the squad do have quality, but such a depleted squad, combined with the lack of feel-good factor around the club, is bound to make it a difficult environment for them to thrive.