Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping to make the perfect start to the 2021/22 campaign when they face Charlton Athletic on August 7th.
Preparations for the club's return to the third-tier are already well underway at Hillsborough as manager Darren Moore looks to assemble a side which is capable of competing at this level.
Having already parted ways with a plethora of players who ultimately failed to deliver the goods in the Championship last season, it will be intriguing to see what approach the 47-year-old takes in terms of his recruitment this summer.
Whereas Moore is currently unable to splash the cash on players due to the nature of the club's current transfer embargo, he may be able to seek solace in the form of the free-agent market.
However, it could be argued that Moore's priority in the coming weeks will be to deter interest from elsewhere in one of the Wednesday's key players.
[gmsStartingEleven url="https://givemesport.starting11.co.uk/2020-09-08/"]
Having already turned down two bids from Millwall for Josh Windass, the Owls are fighting an uphill battle to keep the attacking midfielder at the club as Birmingham City and Fulham have both recently emerged as potential suitors.
However, in a fresh update concerning the 27-year-old, it has been revealed that Wednesday have now adopted a clear stance regarding his future.
According to Yorkshire Live journalist Dom Howson, the Owls are not willing to sell Windass during the current transfer window as they are instead looking to build a team around him.
A stand-out performer for the club last season, the attacking midfielder netted 10 goals in all competitions and provided his team-mates with six assists.
Considering that he has managed to illustrate that he is more than capable of thriving at Championship level, Windass could potentially set the third-tier alight with his displays next season if the Owls are able to keep him at the club.
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
Whilst it would be naïve to suggest that this particular transfer saga is set to conclude due to Wednesday's stance on Windass, this is still an encouraging update as the club clearly do not want to negotiate a deal with any of the clubs that are interested in the attacking midfielder.
Whereas this summer does represent the final chance that the Owls will get to secure a sizeable fee for the former Rangers man due to the fact that his current deal is set to expire next year, they may struggle to find a suitable replacement if he was to depart.
Wednesday will be hoping that by achieving a great deal of success in the third-tier next season, they will be able to eventually convince Windass to sign a new contract.
Providing that the attacking midfielder is able to replicate the performances that he produced during the previous campaign for Wednesday, he could spearhead a push for promotion in League One.
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