Football
Exclusive: Rangers and Wrexham Eye Move for Unpaid Sheffield Wednesday Star Josh Windass
Rangers and Wrexham are set to swoop for unsettled Sheffield Wednesday striker Josh Windass, who has not been paid for two months due to financial crisis at the club. Windass wants security for next season and is one of many disgruntled players looking to leave amid an embarrassing predicament at the Owls.
Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke City - Sky Bet Championship by Ben Roberts Photo | Getty Images
Former club Rangers and Wrexham are both poised to swoop for unsettled Sheffield Wednesday striker Josh Windass, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
Windass bagged 13 goals last season for the Owls and chipped in with five assists as the club finished 12th in the Championship.
But the 31-year-old is understandably unhappy having not been paid for two months with an ongoing financial crisis at Hillsborough.
Windass and his Owls’ teammates remain unpaid – as do club staff – for the second month in a row, with the club’s Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri having faced an angry backlash from the club’s supporters for the payment farce.
Windass, the son of former Bradford City legend Dean, is one of a group of disgruntled players who have now asked to leave the club.
The forward is under contract with the Owls until next June, but missing wages means he can boycott the club any time he likes.
And many other players could quickly follow suit with the new Championship little over a month away.
Our sources have learnt Scottish giants Rangers and Welsh side Wrexham, who achieved a memorable promotion to the second tier for this season, have been quick to react to the situation as they look to capitalise on Sheffield Wednesday’s embarrassing predicament.
DISILLUSIONED PLAYERS AND STAFF
Long-serving midfielder Barry Bannan is also understood to be considering leaving having grown disillusioned with the poor handling of the unwanted wage affair.
Windass has a similar mindset and wants security for next season, as do the club’s hard-working players and staff.
Last season Windass was a key player for the Owls and played 47 times for the club.
His goals helped the club finish a respectably mid-table amidst a large section of fans calling for Chansiri to sell the club.
Windass joined the Owls initially on loan from Wigan Athletic at the end of the January transfer window in the 2019-20 season.
And the former Huddersfield Town academy graduate then played for Accrington Stanley before signing for the Gers in July 2016.
He played two seasons in the Scottish Premiership, with his second campaign the most impressive with 18 goals in 41 games.
But Wigan swooped to sign the following season and, after two seasons with Latics, has played for the Owls ever since, scoring 50 goals in 153 appearances for the club.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.