Traditionally, by the third Saturday in May (which is this Saturday), football clubs make decisions on out-of-contract players. This is to fit with EFL requirements. However, the COVID-19 lockdown of football has changed all that. Dom Howson writes that Sheffield Wednesday won’t be issuing theirs per the EFL deadline.
The rightful lockdown of football as a measure to combat the spread of the coronavirus has definitely changed many things in the ‘beautiful game’. There is no use looking at history for precedent; now is the new normal. One issue that is changed as a result of lockdown and the suspension of football is the contract situation.
Football contracts traditionally run until June 30 with July 1 symbolically representing a new season. As part of this arrangement, clubs are required to make decisions on who they are keeping on at their clubs – their retained lists. The deadline for this is mandated as the third Saturday in May – this year it is this Saturday, May 16th. However, Sheffield Wednesday will not be meeting this writes Dom Howson for YorkshireLive.
Contract decisions – now or later?
Like the rest of the Football League, Sheffield Wednesday has not played since March 7. Again, like the rest of Football League clubs, they have a number of players whose deals are up. Players such as Osaze Urhoghide, Joey Pelupessy, Kieran Lee, Atdhe Nuhiu and Fernando Forestieri will become free agents this time around.
With their deals set to run out on June 30, there’d be an expectation that some would be offered extended deals or that a retained list would be announced. However, Howson writes that the Owls: “are expected to delay announcing their retained list until they receive more guidance from the English Football League over when they can resume their Championship campaign.”
Howson also adds in an interesting snippet that three players, Urhoghide, Morgan Fox and Steven Fletcher have been contacted by the club who “have held contract talks” with the trio.
With the EFL not due to start training until May 25, the original line in the sand being May 16, there is more time for Sheffield Wednesday to finalise their approach to those players out of contract this year.
