Owls facing uncertain future

Owls fans seem set for more pain as goalkeeper Lee Grant looks certain to depart Wednesday for Championship newcomers Burnley. This sale follows recent revelations that the Owls owe the taxman £550,000 and face a winding-up hearing on August 11^th.

Despite interim chairman Howard Wilkinson insisting that Wednesday have a future, the sale of Grant is yet another sign that the club is a long way from its former Premier League days and will further validate the claims that Wednesday are a ‘crisis club’, a theory that a projected 20% drop in revenue after relegation from the Championship is already fuelling.

Owls fans had been hopeful that a takeover would lift the club sooner rather than later. However, recent news has left fans with a further sense of uncertainty. At the crux of this uncertainty is the fact that no agreement has been reached with potential investors, and the decision by HMRC to serve a winding up order places further pressure on Wednesday to attract investors quickly.

Despite the financial uncertainty surrounding the club, Wednesday are still being tipped as strong promotion candidates. In spite of a pre-season friendly defeat at Championship side Scunthorpe United, Owls striker Neil Mellor claims that the players are improving their fitness levels and remains confident that Wednesday are prepared to work hard to ensure they return to the Championship soon. This confidence seems to be shared by bookmakers, who place Wednesday well up there with the favourite odds to win league one.

However, whilst it is clear that the club should be a force to be reckoned with in League One, the sale of key players, combined with a lack of funds to replace them, has heaped more pressure on Wednesday as they look to bounce straight back to the Championship.

Should activity off the pitch reflect their success on the pitch though, they might be part of league two betting prices next season.