Sheffield Wednesday striker Sam Winnall’s future is uncertain after a number of managerial changes according to a report from the Sheffield Star.
The 27-year-old striker moved to Wednesday in January 2017 and after some initial good form, he struggled to keep his place in the first team. This wasn’t helped with the fact the Owls signed Jordan Rhodes shortly after Winnall was brought in. This led to Winnall being loaned out to Derby for the 2017/18 season with Jacob Butterfield heading in the other direction.
And this loan move ended up working well for Winnall and Derby. In 18 appearances for the Rams, with most of them coming from the substitutes bench, he scored six goals. This ended up causing plenty of annoyance back at Wednesday as fans wondered why they had let him leave on loan when their strikers were misfiring at the time. Butterfield’s performances weren’t helping matters either. Unfortunately, Winnall missed the second half of the season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in February.
Even with that injury, it was safe to assume that Derby would look to keep him permanently come the summer. But things have changed on the managerial front since then. Derby head coach Gary Rowett has gone to Stoke City and while it seems like Frank Lampard is set to be their new manager, he may not want to bring Winnall back to Pride Park. But things may now be rosier for him back at Wednesday. The man who froze him out, Carlos Carvalhal, was sacked while Winnall was away and Jos Luhukay is now in charge. He may see Winnall as a useful player and he could be a key player for the Owls in the 18/19 season.
