Whisper it quietly, but there is a determination around Sheffield Wednesday as the new season approaches. A determination built from a promising second half of last season. However, what is different this time around, is there is pressure on the Owls to succeed. ' Our squad is one of the best in the division' said Powell 'Last year was essentially worthless from when I came in. Relegation never looked likely, but nor did promotion.' This was as Wednesday ended a decent 12th after a rocky first half of the season.
This time though, targets are much, much higher 'Playoffs are the aim' said newly appointed captain Ragnar Klavan ' We can feel the pressure surrounding us, but we're confident we can handle it and have a good season.'
Certainly, the Owls will need to handle the pressure and hit the ground running, as their opening match is a massive game away to city rivals and arch enemies....Sheffield United. Powell had this to say about Norman Little's squad ' It's a very tricky match, we couldn't ask for much tougher to start us off. Norman has assembled a good squad there with some excellent players. The likes of Sakho, Fischer, Dybala and Piatti provide a real threat going forward. While players such as Carrick, Balanta and Viergever give them that steel every side needs, and in new signing Andriy Pyatov, Norman has landed himself an excellent goalkeeper.'
However, Wednesday themselves have had a very busy pre-season, bringing in no less than TEN NEW PLAYERS, and that's not including 88 rated Jonathan Pitroipa and Guillaume Gillet, who only joined to play the last couple of games of last season. Here's a lowdown on some of the key new arrivals
Andres Guardado- Wednesday saw off competition from Blackpool and Chelsea to land the signature of the versatile Mexican. Rated 89 and only 28 years old, he will add a steel and experience the side needs. Likely to play mainly at left back.
Sergi Roberto- Roberto arrived earlier this week on a season-long loan from Barcelona. 87 rated and only 23 years old, his youthful touch will bring another load of flair and talent to what's already an excellent midfield.
Enner Valencia- Another loan, this time from Italian giants Juventus. Valencia is a favourite of real-life West Ham fan Ted Powell. His versatility means he can fit in anywhere across the midfield or up front. It's likely he will play just behind the lone striker, pushing his Ecuador team-mate Jefferson Montero back into centre midfield.
Ragnar Klavan- The Estonian defender can play at centre back or left back, and is captain of his country. Enjoying an excellent season in real life with Augsburg, the 29 year old, 87 rated player is not out of the running to achieve a rating incraese. Newly appointed captain of the club.
Eiji Kawashima- One of two goalkeepers to sign in pre-season along with the slightly younger Yoann Thuram. Japanese international Kawashima joins from Belgian side Standard Liege, joining his former team-mate Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez in a squad full of players who used to play in the Belgian league. Kawashima, Carcela, Gillet, Meunier and Mbemba all used to ply their trade there.
Along with this newboys have joined Chancel Mbemba, Yoann Thuram, Hugo Ayala, Mushaga Bakenga and Sebastian Martinez.
It promises to be an exciting season ahead, the road to Division 1 starts now....
No comments:
Post a Comment