Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping for a much better season this time around as they seek a return to the Premier League.

After successive play-off finishes, the expectation 12 months ago was for another shot at the top six, however it didn't materialise and Carlos Carvalhal lost his job and was replaced by Jos Luhukay in January.

The former Gladbach boss struggled to make an immediate impact, although things did pick up towards the end of the season.

However, it's been a slow summer so far for the Owls and with a lot of Championship rivals making some major signings, there's a feeling Wednesday could be left behind.

Here we look at four factors that could stop the side from pushing for promotion next May...

The financial situation at Wednesday isn't clear and there has been speculation surrounding the future of several key players in recent weeks.

One key man they must keep hold of is Fernando Forestieri, if they don't it will take a massive effort to push for the top six.

Even though injuries played a massive part in their tough season, the fact is Wednesday finished in the bottom half and therefore need a lot of improvement.

But, that hasn't happened yet. New signings are required and they have to be quality additions. Their Championship rivals are spending big and it could leave the Owls trailing.

There's still a feeling that Wednesday are one prolific striker short but that's a major problem for any side chasing promotion.

Steven Fletcher and Gary Hooper have had injury problems and Atdhe Nuhiu hasn't scored enough over the years. They need a new number nine that can potentially hit 20+ a season.

This may be harsh but so far Luhukay has done nothing to suggest the Owls will be competing for promotion next season.

He has a good CV and has worked at some very big clubs but his first six months were mixed. Given other sides have more resources and have better squads, he will need to overachieve and it's hard to see that happening.

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