Sheffield Wednesday

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Sheffield Wednesday defender Yan Valery played the full 90 minutes for Tunisia as they ended their World Cup campaign with a third successive defeat, losing 3-1 to the Netherlands in Kansas.

The 27-year-old, who ended last season on loan at Young Boys in Switzerland, started the first game, a 5-1 thrashing by Sweden which subsequently saw boss Sabri Lamouchi sacked.

Valery was then left out by new head coach Herve Renard for the 4-0 hammering by Japan before being restored to the line-up on Thursday night.

Tunisia finished bottom of Group F, conceding 12 goals and scoring just twice.

Sheffield Wednesday want to take goalkeeper Filip Marschall from League One rivals Stevenage. He could be in line to replace current number one, Pierce Charles who seems set to move on from Hillsborough. (Alan Nixon - Patreon), external

Want more EFL transfer gossip? Read more of Friday's headlines here.

Sheffield Wednesday are closing in on a deal to sign midfielder Callum Slattery with the 27-year-old departing Scottish Premiership side Motherwell this summer following five years at the club. (The Star), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Thursday's gossip column here.

Sheffield Wednesday are close to agreeing a deal to sign Aston Villa defender Sil Swinkels. The 22-year-old had loan spells last season at League One Exeter City and in League Two with Chesterfield. (The Athletic), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at - gossip column here.

Sheffield Wednesday are interested in a move for Huddersfield Town and former Wales Under-21s striker Joe Taylor but face competition for the 23-year-old from Blackburn Rovers. (Football Insider), external

The Owls have also made a significant move for York City's English striker Josh Stones, 23. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip column here.

The EFL will reveal its fixture list for the 2026-27 season on Thursday.

Want to know who your team will face on opening day? The fixtures will be announced at 12:00 BST - but that is not all.

The draws for the group stage of the Vertu Trophy and the first round of the Carabao Cup will also take place.

So check back on 25 June to see who your team faces first, last and everything in between.

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Sheffield United's Tahith Chong helped earn Curacao their first point in a World Cup with a 0-0 draw against Ecuador on Sunday.

The midfielder played 76 minutes during the stalemate, while Middlesbrough winger Sontje Hansen was on the bench for the Caribbean side.

Curacao will next play Ivory Coast on Thursday (21:00 BST) for a chance to progress through the group stages with a first tournament win.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday's Yan Valery, Ben Slimane of Norwich City and Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri all started for Tunisia as they succumbed to a 4-0 defeat by Japan which saw them knocked out of the tournament.

Tunisia's last group match will be against the Netherlands on Friday at 00:00 BST.

Sheffield Wednesday's 20-year-old goalkeeper Pierce Charles could leave the Owls this summer with Manchester City, Leeds United and Rangers all interested in the Northern Ireland international. (Yorkshire Post), external

For more transfer news and rumours, read Friday's full gossip column here.

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield Sport

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As part of a Q&A session conducted by Sheffield Wednesday on Monday evening, I had the opportunity to ask questions of a panel that included new owners David Storch, Michael Storch and Tom Costin, plus chief executive David Bruce and sporting director Simon Wilson.

Wilson's appointment is significant for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the Owls have a huge task on their hands to build a squad for next season. Secondly, it is the kind of role the former owner Dejphon Chansiri consistently resisted hiring.

Now, we will get to see the positive impact a sporting director can have at Hillsborough. It feels long overdue and, to his credit, Wilson highlighted the size of the task at hand.

"This summer might be a messy summer," he admitted. "Because we're working from a basis where we're not just adding 10% or 20% to an existing strong squad, we've got nearly 100% to do. We've got deadlines to meet, so it won't be perfect.

"We want to be talked about. We want to be exciting - a team people want to get behind."

There have been rumours aplenty about a return to the club for Barry Bannan. The 36-year-old joined Millwall in January but coming back to Hillsborough feels increasingly like a possibility.

Wilson believes a blend of youth and experience will be best as they build their team.

"My transfer policy is about balance," he added. "You need young, exciting players. Every club needs its own players coming through an academy and there were some that came through this season, but it's hard for them.

"You need really good senior players, aged 26 to 30, that can be the best players in the league. Then you need those at 20 to 24 who are breaking into the team."

It was the first time for supporters to hear from Wilson and it followed a detailed presentation from CEO Bruce laying out plans for new premium and hospitality features, which were launched on the club's website.

David Hirst, a Wednesday legend being brought back into the fold, will also be a club ambassador. Included in the presentation was the fact he'll be operating 'Hirsty's Social' at Hillsborough, a move that has received a very positive reaction from supporters.

The room used on Monday night was the same one used for Chansiri's lengthy fans' forums which were often an opportunity to have an argument with those in attendance and tell everyone how it is.

The mood, again, was so strikingly different in this fresh start. No wonder the words 'a club reborn' are being used by the new owners.

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Sheffield Wednesday have named Simon Wilson as their new sporting director after he left his position as chief executive at fellow League One club Stockport County at the end of last season.

Wilson joined Stockport, initially as director of football and oversaw their rise from the National League to League One where they were beaten by Bolton Wanderers in the play-off final last month.

He has also spent time working with Southampton, Manchester City, Sunderland, Leicester City, Sparta Prague and Ajax.

The sporting director role at Sheffield Wednesday is a newly created one following their relegation from the Championship.

"Success will require patience, consistency and alignment," Wilson told Sheffield Wednesday's website. , external

"We are not looking for quick fixes, but to build a football operation capable of delivering sustainable success over the long term."

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Halifax Town have signed centre-back Mackenzie Maltby from Sheffield Wednesday.

The former Wednesday Under-18 captain made his debut for the Owls last season, after spending part of the 2024-25 season at Scarborough Athletic in National League North, where he was named the club's young player of the year.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Wales Under-19 striker Will Grainger is attracting interest from Everton.

Grainger made his first start for Sheffield Wednesday in their final-day win against Norwich.

The previous week he scored his first senior goal in a 4-1 defeat at Oxford.

The highly-rated 17-year-old is likely to be part of Wales' squad when it hosts the European Under-19 Championships later this month.

While Sheffield Wednesday are hoping to hold contract talks with Grainger, Everton are across the situation. It is inevitable there will be wider interest should the player, who took over the captaincy of Wednesday's under-21 side earlier this season, excel in group stage games against Spain, Germany and Denmark.

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield reporter

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One of the things Leeds United do well is look after their own.

I've spoken to ex-Leeds players who speak highly of how often they're invited back to Elland Road. They're looked after. They're put in a position to engage with fans, who love seeing their former heroes.

During Dejphon Chansiri's ownership of Sheffield Wednesday, that didn't happen at Hillsborough. It was a frequent talking point.

It wasn't Chansiri's biggest mistake, clearly. But it was still a mistake.

People like Chris Waddle, David Hirst, Carlton Palmer, John Sheridan - they should have been regulars at Hillsborough and treated with the upmost respect.

Wednesday don't have a laundry list of legends, given they've not been in the top flight for 26 years and counting. At least look after the ones you've got.

The club's last true period of glory was the early 90s – where they won the League Cup, finished third in the top flight and played in two more cup finals.

Wednesday's lack of success since has, if anything, made the efforts of the players from that era all the more fabled.

At other local clubs things have been different. Tony Currie is a regular at Bramall Lane and celebrated by Sheffield United, with a stand named in his honour.

Ronnie Moore, the King of Rotherham United, is genuinely treated like royalty.

James Coppinger works for Doncaster Rovers and they're about to release a documentary about his career.

Maybe things are about to change at Sheffield Wednesday under new ownership, led by David Storch?

In an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield, Waddle revealed that several ex-players have been invited to attend a meeting with the idea of re-building relationships.

"Chansiri lost touch with the ex-players," explained the former England international.

"He wanted to wipe that history away because he wasn't the chairman at the time. You can't do that. A lot of these fans remember those days - and cling to those days to be honest.

"The new owners have come in and want to embrace it. Hopefully, and luckily, I think we've got the right guys in charge."

It's one of several easy wins the Storch-led ownership, alongside empowered new CEO David Bruce, have identified.

The change of badge, engaging fans, working with the Supporters Trust. They're creating energy, momentum and fans can see a club starting to run properly.

"It's about time that Wednesday fans have some good times," Waddle added.

"It was amazing how they went through last season. It was a slog. They put a brave face on. They kept singing and kept travelling. That'll always be there.

"That's why I hope one day they'll be back in the Premier League – and that's what they deserve, these Wednesday fans."

It is believed the meeting will happen in the next couple of weeks and Owls fans might be seeing a lot more of their heroes around Hillsborough next season.

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Sheffield Wednesday right-back Yan Valery has joined up with Tunisia for the World Cup.

The France-born defender played all 90 minutes in Tunisia's 1-0 defeat to Austria on 1 June to mark his 22nd cap.

Tunisia are in Group F and will face Sweden, Japan and the Netherlands.

The World Cup begins on Thursday with Tunisia's first game at 03:00 BST on Monday against Sweden.

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield

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Togetherness has not always been a word associated with Sheffield Wednesday over the past decade.

It never felt like former owner Dejphon Chansiri was particularly interested in bringing everyone together, but these are different times.

The club's Supporters Trust, external launched a fundraising campaign last week. The aim was to raise money for three key causes - to purchase season tickets for deserving supporters who can not afford one, to create match ticket initiatives throughout the season (including for first-time attendees and young supporters), and to provide mascot experiences and replica shirts for children who might otherwise miss out.

At the time of writing, the fund has reached well over £26,000 in just three days.

It is a major effort from supporters, including a significant contribution of £1,867 from Tom Costin, part of the group who have just bought the club (1867 is the year Wednesday were founded).

The feel-good factor is very much back at Hillsborough, a stark contrast to where the club was a year ago, when most of our days were spent reporting on whether staff had been paid and whether Wednesday would even survive.

"The speed of the response tells you everything about this fanbase," said the trust's Jake Lee.

"We've come through some incredibly difficult years but supporters still look after one another. That's what makes Sheffield Wednesday special."

One of the big benefits of the fundraising will be the prospect of new fans being introduced to the club. There has not been enough of that at Hillsborough.

Plenty of fans contacted us during the Chansiri era to say their families had been priced out of attending games. Some took the hard decision to stay away as his ownership became increasingly toxic.

Getting new fans into the ground, and encouraging others to return, is a big aim for the summer.

"Potentially dozens of memories will be created for supporters and young people who otherwise wouldn't have had those opportunities," Jake Lee added.

"That's what this is really about."

It also marks a crucial shift for the Supporters Trust. Having been pushed into leading the protests that ultimately led to Chansiri's exit, then playing a key role in helping to find a solution in the form of David Storch's Aspire Capital, they are determined to transition to a new focus.

"Fans felt they had no voice but a Supporters Trust should ultimately be about much more than that. It should be about protecting the interests of supporters, strengthening the club's connection with its community, and delivering positive projects that make a difference" Lee said.

"We've spoken about moving from protest to purpose. Raising this money to help supporters and young people access Sheffield Wednesday is the sort of work a modern supporters trust should be doing."

A new target of £35,000 has been set and you would not bet against Wednesday's energized fanbase getting them there.