Sheffield Wednesday

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield sport editor

Image source, Rex Features

Wednesday night's five-hour marathon fans' forum at Sheffield Wednesday highlighted one thing above everything else - there is clearly a breakdown in the relationship between chairman Dejphon Chansiri and manager Danny Rohl.

Chansiri was asked several times about the lack of communication the pair have had about transfers. He admitted they haven't spoken since December, insisting it was Rohl's responsibility to contact him and suggesting there was more he wanted to say on the matter but he was unable to do so.

At one point, Chansiri said Rohl had been "very brave" to challenge supporters to come to the fans forum and ask about the situation with transfers, when interviewed on BBC Radio Sheffield earlier this month.

Other topics included general manager Alastair Wilson addressing concerns about season ticket prices, the reveal that the club is considering installing safe-standing areas at Hillsborough and the night ended with the bombshell announcement that key player Shea Charles was being recalled from his loan by Southampton.

It's clear, though, what the main takeaway is. The chairman and the manager don't see eye-to-eye. Quite why that had to be made public via a forum - and why it hasn't been resolved, one way or another, behind the scenes - will be a question many fans ask.

Plenty of supporters will have been left deflated by last night's event. The Owls are three points off the play-offs and Rohl is probably the most popular boss the club has had since Ron Atkinson won the League Cup and promotion to the the top flight in 1991.

The former Bayern Munich coach kept the club up against all the odds last season. Instead of finding a way to harness this and move forwards, now the prevailing thought is - what on earth is going to happen next at a club that hasn't been in the Premier League for 25 years?

Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri says Southampton will be recalling influential midfielder Shea Charles from his loan at Hillsborough. (Leeds Live, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column.

Wrexham are eyeing Sheffield Wednesday striker Michael Smith, who is out of contract at the end of the season. (The Mirror, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip here.

Both Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United are keen to sign Tom Cannon if he is recalled by Leicester from his loan at Stoke City and becomes available. (Yorkshire Post), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip here.

Brisbane Roar's teenage striker Thomas Waddingham was left out of the A-League side's squad this weekend amid speculation over a bid from Sheffield Wednesday, with QPR and Portsmouth also interested. (Sheffield Star, external)

Stoke could lose loan striker Tom Cannon this week, if Leicester decide to recall him and send him elsewhere, with Wednesday, Sunderland, Luton and Sheffield United all monitoring the 22-year-old Republic of Ireland forward. (Leicester Mercury, external)

Want more EFL transfer stories? Read Sunday's full gossip column.

Image source, Rex Features

Several Championship clubs will be playing close attention to comments from Aston Villa boss Unai Emery about attacking midfielder Louie Barry.

The 21-year-old has been recalled by Villa this week after a stellar loan spell with League One Stockport, where he scored 16 goals this season.

Leeds, Sunderland, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby, Middlesbrough, Millwall and Coventry are among the clubs reported to be keen on taking Barry for a stint in the second tier for the remainder of the campaign.

Speaking ahead of Villa's FA Cup third round clash with West Ham, Emery said: "(Barry) trained with us and we are going to make a plan with him, an overall plan,

"I think he is a very good player who is progressing well. He has been on loan doing fantastic. Now we can have a new plan with him.

"He improved because he was scoring a lot of goals on loan. With us he only trained today and yesterday. Of course we are going to try and get a good plan for the club with him."

Sheffield Wednesday will head to the CBS Arena to take on Coventry City in the FA Cup third round on Saturday (18:00 GMT).

• Coventry have progressed from five of their six FA Cup ties against Sheffield Wednesday, including a round four victory last season en route to the semi-final.

• Sheffield Wednesday won 2-1 away at Coventry in the Championship earlier this season, ending a 15-game winless run at the Sky Blues in all competitions.

• Coventry have scored at least three goals in each of their last four FA Cup matches – only one team in the 21st century has scored 3+ goals in five consecutive games in the competition proper, with Tottenham doing so between January 2021 and February 2022.

• Sheffield Wednesday have progressed from their past six FA Cup third round ties, last going out at this stage of the competition in 2016-17.

• Coventry's past four home games in the FA Cup have seen 25 goals scored, an average of just over six per game – 3-4 vs Wrexham, 6-2 vs Oxford United, 4-1 vs Sheffield Wednesday, 5-0 vs Maidstone United.

Sheffield Wednesday are keen on a deal for Ipswich defender Harry Clarke on loan for the rest of the season. (Sheffield Star), external

Want more EFL transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column.

Image source, Rex Features

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been named the EFL's Championship manager of the month for December.

Leeds were unbeaten last month, with five wins and one draw from their six games, which saw them finish 2024 top of the table.

They also only conceded two goals in that run, while scoring 13.

It is the first time Farke has won the award this season.

Leeds have drawn their opening two games of January and host Harrogate Town in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes, Burnley's Scott Parker and Danny Rohl of Sheffield Wednesday were also nominated for the award.

Image source, Rex Features

Sheffield Wednesday will be without defender Dominic Iorfa for up to two months because of a muscular injury.

The 29-year-old was forced off in the final 20 minutes of the Owls' 2-2 draw with Millwall in the Championship last Saturday.

Iorfa has started 13 league games this season, including the last five matches, as Wednesday's strong winter form as moved them up to 10th and within three points of the play-offs.

"Dom will be out for around eight weeks - which is a long, long time and it's not nice," head coach Danny Rohl told BBC Radio Sheffield, external.

"It's not helpful but we have to find solutions and it's a chance for Gab (Gabriel Otegbayo) to get more minutes."

Otegbayo replaced Iorfa against Millwall and scored the 85th minute equaliser for his first senior goal.

Sheffield Wednesday visit Coventry City in the FA Cup third round on Saturday evening (18:00 GMT).

Image source, Getty Images

Queens Park Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes. Leeds United's Daniel Farke, Burnley's Scott Parker and Danny Rohl of Sheffield Wednesday are the four nominees for the Championship's manager of the month award for December.

Rangers started last month second from bottom of the Championship but took 11 points from six games to finish the year in 17th place, five points clear of the relegation zone.

Under Farke, Leeds went unbeaten through the month of December with five wins and one draw which left them top of the table at the end of 2024.

Burnley's amazing defensive record was once again to the fore last month as they conceded only three goals in their six unbeaten games, with three wins and three draws keeping Parker's side well in the race for automatic promotion.

Rohl has led Wednesday into the top half of the Championship and to the fringes of the play-off race.

The Owls came from behind to beat Derby and Oxford before recovering a 3-0 deficit at Middlesbrough to secure a 3-3 draw.

The winner of the award will be announced on Friday morning.

Image source, Rex Features

Two Championship fixtures have been selected for free-to-air TV coverage in the coming weeks.

The all-Yorkshire game between Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road on Sunday, 19 January (12:00 GMT) will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX.

The Tees-Wear derby between Middlesbrough and Sunderland on Monday, 3 February (20:00 GMT) will also be screened live on ITV4 and ITVX.

It is part of an agreement between Sky Sports, ITV and the EFL , externalto give fans the chance to watch coverage of selected EFL and EFL Cup fixtures on free-to-air channels.

There are five straight days of free-to-air coverage of the FA Cup third round, from this Thursday, across the BBC and ITV.

The second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Tottenham at Anfield on Thursday, 6 February (20:00 GMT) will also be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX.

You can find all this week's fixtures here.

Brazilian club Santos have submitted a bid to sign Josh Windass, 30, from Sheffield Wednesday. (TalkSport, external)

Image source, Rex Features

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl said his side's defensive display in the 2-2 draw against Millwall at Hillsborough was "not good enough".

The Owls led 1-0 after an early Yan Valery strike but missed a number of chances - including a penalty that Ike Ugbo blazed over the bar - and then trailed 2-1 with five minutes remaining, before a late Gabriel Otegbayo shot earned a draw.

"I am very happy with the offensive play - how we created chances against a team who are normally very strong in the defence," Rohl told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"To score two times and have some good opportunities is great but we are conceding too many goals; that is 10 goals conceded in four games and that is not good enough.

"We are top six in the table for scoring but bottom six for conceding. It is not just a team tactical thing but individual decision-making and mistakes.

"We have to step up as a group if we want to achieve more. We have to improve the defending. We have to take responsibility. We entertain, but we entertain too much.

"We had good moments and movement attacking-wise, but to win games it is about clean sheets. We should win this game, but we didn't."

Image source, Getty Images

Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Sean Fusire has agreed a new extended contract with the Championship club.

The 19-year-old signed his first professional deal with Wednesday in 2022, having joined the club at the age of nine.

He made his debut as a 17-year-old in a 1-0 FA Cup defeat by Fleetwood Town in February 2023 but has yet to make a league appearance.

Wednesday have not disclosed for how long the extension ties Fusire to Hillsborough.