Sheffield Wednesday have undergone major upheaval in recent months. SWFC has long been on unstable ground under Dejphon Chansiri, but the collapse of his financial situation has left the Owls in serious trouble.
Multiple embargoes are in place, and points deductions appear inevitable. Ongoing payment issues have led to the departure of numerous staff and players.
Image courtesy of: CRAIG BROUGH/REUTERS.
The loss of manager Danny Rohl over the summer was the most significant blow. However, much of the first-team squad also moved on.
One of those players to move on was the versatile Marvin Johnson, who attracted a lot of interest from League One and Championship clubs over the summer. Now, Johnson has found his new home in the form of League One Port Vale, as confirmed via the club’s official X account.
Johnson was a near ever-present for Sheffield Wednesday last year, featuring in all but five of their Championship games. He was integral to SWFC’s promotion from League One in his last stint in the third tier.
Port Vale newboy Marvin Johnson’s career stats – via Transfermarkt
Reuniting with his former SWFC boss Darren Moore
Johnson has played the vast majority of his career with Sheffield Wednesday. A massive part of that spell was with Darren Moore, the man currently managing his new side Port Vale.
Image courtesy of: CARL RECINE/REUTERS.
Moore has been with Vale since February 2024, helping them earn promotion from League Two last season. This is his second job since his controversial departure from Sheffield Wednesday, just a month after guiding them back to the Championship.
No doubt Moore will have played a big part in Johnson’s decision-making. At 34 years old, this move is a very important one towards the end of his career, and hopefully the pair can reunite to produce the same levels of success with Port Vale.
Another of Sheffield Wednesday’s summer exodus finds a home
Amid the issues surrounding SWFC over the summer, many players jumped ship. Wednesday lost 11 players were lost on free transfers, most of whom have found new clubs.
Many of the Sheffield Wednesday squad that earned promotion just two years ago moved on. Josh Windass joined Wrexham, a huge blow given his value, whereas other moves saw Michael Smith join Preston North End, along with Pol Valentin and Callum Paterson even dropped to League Two with MK Dons.
Johnson joining Port Vale will leave just Stuart Armstrong and Ben Hamer without clubs. Given the payment woes surrounding the club still, you cannot rule out any of the current crop also moving on.