Sheffield Wednesday: Owls quartet face uncertain futures

Four of Wednesday's foreign contingent may be allowed to move on in the upcoming transfer window as part of Carlos Carvalhal's summer overhaul.
Sergiu BusSergiu Bus
Sergiu Bus

Defenders Marnick Vermijl, Claude Dielna, Darryl Lachman and striker Sergiu Bus all face uncertain futures at Hillsborough.

Wednesday loaned out Vermijl, Dielna, Lachman and Bus to Preston North End, Slovan Bratislava, SC Cambuur Leeuwarden and Salernitana respectively last term.

Marnick VermijlMarnick Vermijl
Marnick Vermijl

Following the expiry of their loan deals, the quartet have returned to the Owls and are due to report back for the first day of pre-season training a week on Monday.

It remains unclear whether Vermijl, Dielna, Lachman and Bus will be part of Carvalhal’s plans moving forward as the Owls look to regroup after narrowly missing out on promotion last month.

The quartet are all under contract until at least 2017 but Wednesday could look to offload them to reduce their wage bill and free up space for fresh faces.

Marnick VermijlMarnick Vermijl
Marnick Vermijl

Vermijl, Dielna and Lachman have never featured under Carvalhal while ex-Romanian Under-21 international Bus has only made three substitute appearances.

It is understood Preston are keeping close tabs on Belgian full-back Vermijl, who impressed the Lilywhites management team last campaign. He went on make 32 appearances for Preston, scoring twice.

Opportunities to shine at Wednesday appear unlikely as Wednesday are well-stocked in the right back position, with Jack Hunt and Liam Palmer battling it out for a first-team spot.

Centre-back is an area the Owls will be looking to strengthen following the departures of Michael Turner and Vincent Sasso.

Carvalhal’s men are reportedly tracking Blackburn Rovers star Grant Hanley. Derby County and Glasgow Rangers are also said to be monitoring Hanley’s situation.

Meanwhile, Wednesday fans can finally start planning for the new season when the 2016/17 English Football League (EFL) fixtures are released at 9am today. The Owls have won on the opening day in each of the last two seasons, beating Brighton and Bristol City.

The action kicks off on Saturday August 6 and the first round of the EFL Cup - formerly Capital One Cup - will be played in the week commencing August 8.