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Sheffield Wednesday fans have reacted to the news that one Owls player has been released.
After what was widely regarded as a successful season on the pitch for Sheffield Wednesday, it seems as though preparations are underway for next season, but several issues still lurk around the club.
Danny Rohl’s future at Sheffield Wednesday is still undecided; the German is still under contract at the club, but has made his feelings pretty clear in the media that he is likely to take on a new challenge at this stage in his career.
Whilst it still isn’t confirmed yet as to who will lead Sheffield Wednesday from the dug-out next season, one decision that has been made by Dejphon Chansiri and the higher-ups at the club is the retained list.
There were few surprises on the list, however the departure of one player has come as a surprise to some Owls fans.
Sheffield Wednesday fans react as Ryo Hatsuse is released in latest retained list
Sheffield Wednesday’s decisions surrounding the latest retained list saw Barry Bannan notably offered new terms, whilst Stuart Armstrong, Ben Hamer, Ryo Hatsuse, Michael Ihiekwe, Marvin Johnson, Pol Valentin and Mallik Wilks were released following the conclusion of their deals in S6.
One name on the released list that has taken some Sheffield Wednesday fans by surprise is Ryo Hatsuse, something that received plenty of comments from Owls fans on social media.
One Owls supporter suggested that it was ‘beyond me’ to decide to let go of Hatsuse, alongside Valentin and Armstrong, whilst another said that he ‘would’ve given Hatsuse a year to see what he can actually do’.
Another fan said: “I feel sorry for Hatsuse. He is not a left back, but because he is left footed he was expected to be the 2nd coming of Roberto Carlos.”
One Sheffield Wednesday supporter believed that it was not a surprise, but said that he had ‘good energy and a good cross’, as well as a ‘bit of promise’, which should have been enough for him to be handed a new deal at the club.
Owls departures could leave gaping hole in defence
In the 2024/25 Championship season, one of Sheffield Wednesday’s strong points was arguably the depth they had in defence, with there being several second-tier quality centre-backs and full-backs at Rohl’s disposal.
However, the news that Ryo Hatsuse, Michael Ihiekwe, Marvin Johnson and Pol Valentin will all be released, as well as the fact that we are yet to hear if Akin Famewo will accept his new deal, shows that there will be gaping holes to be plugged by the recruitment team.
Of course, Sheffield Wednesday’s most prominent issue at the moment is the uncertainty surrounding Rohl’s future, but this just adds to the ever-growing list that must be dealt with ahead of the upcoming campaign.