Sheffield Wednesday
Since Wednesday have confirmed that Carlos Carvalhal has signed a contract extension after speculation that his time at Hillsborough was up, it offers the Owls fans renewed hope of another top six finish.
The Portuguese manager has guided the Owls to two successive top six finishes during his time with the club, finishing 6th in the 2015/16 season and 4th last campaign.
Despite the Owl’s final position in the league improving season upon season, the Owls fell one step short of reaching the Championship Play-Off Final last campaign. This was unlike in the 15/16 season when Wednesday lost 1-0 to Hull City at Wembley as this time they ultimately fell short at the hands of their Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town; who were eventually promoted to the Premier League.
Despite falling short last season, there is a lot for Wednesday fans to look forward to this season. The Owls’ recruitment of Morgan Fox has sured up the left-back position and with the return of Kieran Lee, the Owls are slowly returning back to full strength for the upcoming season after injuries plagued them during their last campaign.
The big question is whether Jordan Rhodes will be able to replicate the blistering form he showcased at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, this season at Hillsborough. Rhodes managed 83 goals in 159 appearances during his time at Ewood Park and if Carvalhal can get the best out of the Scotsman this season make no mistake, Wednesday could be Premier League bound. With Rhodes only scoring three goals in his 18 league games for Wednesday last season, he will need to step up his game and begin finding the net quickly.
Fernando Forrestieri has finished the last two seasons as Wednesday’s top goalscorer. The Italian has managed to hit double figures in both seasons but has failed to reach the magic 20 goal mark. If Rhodes is able to reach a similar goal tally to Forrestieri; if not better and the Italian can score a similar amount as he has during the last two seasons whilst remaining fully fit, it’s hard to see past the top six.
A fit and firing striking line up combined with a mixture of experience and youth in their new recruits over this summer, Wednesday could finally cement their place in the top two in a Championship table that looks anybodies race with no clear favourite.
