Dan Neil of Sunderland applauds the fans during the Sky Bet Championship match between Leicester City and Sunderland at the King Power Stadium, Leicester on Tuesday 24th October 2023. (Photo by James Holyoak/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The departure of Steve Haslam as Sheffield Wednesday academy chief after a long-held involvement at Middlewood Road brought Jonathan Pepper to the club – and with him he has brought new ideas, it seems.
The former Burnley man, who also worked at Lincoln City and Bradford City, was confirmed as Haslam’s replacement in December and brings with him a wealth of experience having delivered feted success at Turf Moor in particular.
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Senior boss Danny Röhl is a man well-versed in youth football of course having spent much of his 20s working his way through the ranks of the youth set-up at RB Leipzig. Asked about his relationship and the ideas Pepper has brought to S6, Röhl spoke positively.
It’s the time of year that youth academies across the country are making decisions on the future of their soon-to-be out-of-contract players and The Star has reason to believe some Wednesday youngsters have been given broad indications of their status – with more discussions and conversations to be had in the coming weeks.
The Star reported this week that the 19-year-old faced a race to try and be back out on the field for the Imps before the season finished after suffering a groin injury, and now the player himself has confirmed that he won’t be able to play again in 2024/25.
