Sheffield Wednesday are eyeing a double swoop for Manchester United starlets Harry Amass and Toby Collyer after their EFL embargo was lifted on Friday night.
The Owls are considering a move for the Red Devils academy pair ahead of their Championship opener against Leicester on Sunday.
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Amass is tipped for a bright future at Old TraffordCredit: Getty
Amass is expected to leave Old Trafford on loan this summer after he was left out of United’s recent pre-season trip to the United States.
The 18-year-old racked up 361 minutes across seven Premier League and Europa League appearances last term.
Collyer, three years his senior, was included by Ruben Amorim for the US tour but is still expected to be sent out on loan as well this year.
Wednesday’s current plight means only loans, without transfer fees involved, are permitted under the EFL’s Club Financial Reporting Unit.
The stricken club have just 16 players registered, having been hit with a third transfer embargo by the EFL in July, meaning they’ll need to rely on clubs further up the English pyramid to do them a favour in fleshing out their squad.
The Owls were previously banned from paying fees for players for three transfer windows on June 18.
Wednesday players have not received their wages on time for three months in a row and four times in total since March.
As a result, the Owls pulled out of a behind-closed-doors clash with Burnley last weekend.
There had been concerns within the EFL that Wednesday would not be able to fulfil their upcoming league fixtures.
However, captain Barry Bannan told talkSPORT this week that there wouldn’t be a strike like there was with the Burnley friendly.
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Collyer featured six times in the Premier League last seasonCredit: GettySheffield Wednesday takeover
Problems have been ongoing for well over a year under owner Dejphon Chansiri, who is understood to be trying to sell the club.
Since his takeover in 2015, Wednesday have been sanctioned on multiple occasions due to their finances.
A transfer embargo in 2017 for breaching profit and sustainability rules was followed by a points deduction ahead of the 2020/21 campaign for financial breaches.
Another embargo followed for late payments to staff and players last year, before the current sanctions were imposed.
US businessman John Textor recently registered his interest in buying Wednesday, having sold his stake in Crystal Palace.
What have Wednesday’s players said about it?
Addressing the current situation, captain Barry Bannan told Breakfast: “The lads have been brilliant since we’ve come back.
“I can’t complain, I thought it would have been hard to try and keep the group going, but they’ve been ultimate professionals.
“Come in, worked hard every day and done the running that you probably don’t really want to do, and you’ve got loads of excuses probably at this time to pull out, but they’ve been amazing, to be honest.
“We’ve kept ourselves really fit, but it’s hard because you don’t know what you’re allowed to do, because this never really happens.
“To be honest, it’s never happened to any of us, so we don’t know what the rules and stuff are, so we don’t know what we’re actually allowed to do as a group of players.”
Asked if there will be any potential further strikes, he added: “No, I don’t think so.
“We obviously pulled out the Burnley game at the weekend, that was simply because it’s happened too much now, and I think it’s a lot easier to pull out of a pre-season friendly game than it is a Championship fixture.
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Wednesday’s issues are no closer to being resolved and new ownership looks like the only solutionCredit: Getty
“We’ve come into training and just got on with it, and made it look to the outside world that we’re fine with it, we’re just getting on with it, so that was our choice then to say ‘enough is enough’.”
Who is Sheffield Wednesday’s manager?
Former manager Danny Rohl left Hillsborough by mutual consent last month and has been replaced by his assistant manager, Pedersen.
talkSPORT’s Sheffield correspondent, Alan Biggs, said: “Yeah, this in itself is not a surprise, but it’s again a product of the mismanagement at the top of the club.
“Danny Rohl leaving is perhaps the least seismic shock that Sheffield Wednesday have suffered this summer because it was always on the cards.
“It’s been on the cards since about January or February because of his complete fallout with the owner, Dejphon Chansiri, who’s had a habit of falling out, not only with managers, but with key members of staff at Sheffield Wednesday. It’s just a familiar story.
“It was just a case of how he was going to extricate himself from this tangle. And yet again, Sheffield Wednesday, under this ownership, have seen an asset depart and become valueless at the end of the day. You know, players have gone, had their contracts cancelled for which offers have been refused by Chansiri. Players have gone for undervalue.
“People like Djeidi Gassama and Anthony Musaba, as well, have gone for less than the club should have realised. And really, it’s just a story of chaos and appalling decision-making from the top.
“Mismanagement is not too strong a word for it. Total mismanagement.
“I’ve never seen a situation or a club like this crumble in football to this extent. It’s simply a disgrace.
“A disgrace on football because for football to be powerless to act on a situation like this is utterly outrageous in my opinion.”